Yahoo News West Brom press conference notes: Carlos Corberan's duvet and a key piece of paper
Carlos Corberan was uncharacteristically late for his press conference on Wednesday. Deciding to host the local media three days before West Brom's penultimate game of this marathon season, because of plans for a day off on Thursday and with the intention to travel to Sheffield on Friday lunch-time, you couldn't blame him for being immersed in his preparations at the most critical point of the campaign.
The quality of Corberan's press conferences lately have been high. You don't sense any nervousness, or over exuberance. In his second language he still possesses a wonderful ability to hammer home his message. He wants the Albion players to maintain cool heads and to carry out their game plans from match to match, and for the squad to give their all in these remaining matches. Corberan, from his position on the touch-line, intends to lead from the front.
He arrives for this latest sit-down armed with a single piece of paper bearing two league tables - one is where Sheffield Wednesday would be if this season began the day they appointed Danny Rohl and the other is the Championship table based on the last 25 matches. This isn't just for the benefit of us, but for his players at their team meeting in the morning.
"I bring this, which normally I don't," Corberan says. "It was I showed to my team today. Everyone in football sees the table. Look, they are down and you are up. The people think that there is this distance. In the last 25 games, which is more than half of the league, we are in the position seventh. They are in position eighth. Sheffield in that time have achieved 37 points. More than Hull City or Middlesbrough, or Preston.
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"They have achieved 37, we have achieved 40. Only three points difference in the last 25 games. You are going to play against this team. We aren't playing against the Sheffield from the beginning, who couldn't achieve results - we are playing a team that are with us, fighting to survive. We are fighting to achieve a play-off position. The game is going to be a very, very challenging and demanding game."
Corberan often uses props to emphasise his points. Often he'll pick up the glasses on his table, intended for water, as mannequins as if he were on the training pitch to paint the picture of what he is explaining. Today, he borrowed a pen to explain the strengths and weaknesses of different opponents. Why might Albion have had such joy in creating chances, despite their profligacy, against Leicester, who days later destroyed Southampton?
Strengths and weaknesses
What qualities his team possess might've come to the fore more against a team like Leicester - equally, they won't necessarily work in the same way against Sheffield Wednesday. They are fighting for something entirely different but will seek to play to their strengths. Corberan, watching the Owls' recent draw at Stoke, reckoned that within ten minutes of observing he could detect how the hosts would approach the game.
"It's the best thing I can give you, as a journalist," Corberan explains. "We all have strengths and weaknesses - teams and humans. Sometimes the weaknesses of one team are the strengths of the other. Sometimes it's the opposite. My strengths might work perfectly against your weaknesses - or my weaknesses unfortunately work perfectly with your strengths. If this is the game we play, we have the options to make the opponent suffer.
"Our strengths, where we can be different, is where they can be poor. In these games, you have more options to compete well. Let's imagine that one of our weaknesses is defending set-pieces, and the opponent's strength is attacking set pieces. You are going to suffer, even if you're better in the table. This is football. It is magical."
Goals conceded
Albion were almost immaculate in 2023 when it came to a tight defence. They signed off from the first half of the season with successive shut-outs at home to Norwich City and Leeds United over the festive period. Alex Palmer was on course to clinch the Golden Glove at a canter before Leeds' inspired turn of form, and now Ilan Meslier sits atop that particular leaderboard.
The Baggies have fallen into a rather unpleasant habit of shipping goals with more regularity than we had become accustomed to in the earlier parts of this season; Southampton, QPR, Watford, Stoke City and then, most recently, Leicester have all bagged a couple of goals each in meetings with Albion, who have not been able to select a regular centre half pairing throughout the last couple of months because of injuries and international duty.
Simply, Corberan believes that there was a shift in the mid-winter, in which Albion began to operate with more attack-minded wingers - those alterations, among other things, contribute towards a little vulnerability going back towards your own goal - but it equally means you carry more of a threat going forwards as a team. True enough, Albion have begun to hit the net more frequently in the time since their excellent defensive record has relatively suffered.
While Matt Phillips was forced onto the sidelines with injury, and set-backs elsewhere meant the attentive Jed Wallace was utilised elsewhere, Mikey Johnston and Tom Fellows were the picks out wide. They wouldn't necessarily boast that same defensive solidity of their more experienced colleagues, but they've both contributed plenty in the final third.
"Sometimes trying to improve something, you are going to waste something too," Corberan adds. "When you're going to asleep, with your blanket, you need to cover your feet or your head. Covering both things is not easy - and this is something similar to this! Do I want to attack more - and cover my head? - or do I want to defend more and cover my feet?
"It's true. Only some teams don't have to give this possibility, and they are too good and dominate every opponent. This is why football is exciting."
