West Brom have “one challenge more” to overcome in their Championship meeting against Bristol City, according to Carlos Corberan, and that is their terrible away form.
The manager noted that his team has not reached the levels of football that he desires, and that they would need to be more competitive in each game, especially away from home.
The Baggies have been particularly strong at The Hawthorns under Corberan, with a statistic suggesting that their home form has been the best in the league since his arrival, but dismal away form denied them a place in last season’s playoffs, with only two wins on the road since February.
Corberan told the Express and Star on September 15th, ahead of the visit to Bristol City, “I am looking forward to this period.” We were in great form at home until losing to Huddersfield.
“This (the away form) is one more challenge we must overcome, and we will approach it with the determination to change the momentum.”
“It is true that we have not reached the level of football that we require.” That is my impression. We must improve our competitiveness.
“We’ve played well in parts of games, but we haven’t played a full 90 or 100-minute game at the level we require.” Our progress is visible.
The home form is excellent, but the difference will be made away from home.
If there is one complaint to levy at the Spaniard throughout his tenure at West Brom, it is his terrible away form. Last season, this cost the Baggies a playoff spot and has been mainly to blame for their sluggish start to the season.
Away defeats to Stoke City, Sheffield United, and Swansea City in the early stages of last season contributed to the Baggies losing four of their last six games and ultimately missing out on a playoff spot that would have put them in contention for a place in the Premier League.
Corberan has lost on the road to Blackburn and Stoke, while drawing at Elland Road, in an uneven start to the season that has also seen them lose at home to Huddersfield in an unexpected outcome.
Their away form will need to be rectified soon, as it will likely mean the difference between another playoff push and remaining stuck in the middle of the table.
