Callum O'Connell

Mon 4 December 2023 8:54, UK

Carlos Corberan has told his West Brom players they must do more to win games against bigger sides as it is not enough just to be competitive.

Pointing to the defeats against Southampton and Leicester, the boss said they did well to remain competitive in the games against top sides but should be doing more to pick up all three points.

This has come amid praise for the level of opposition in the Championship, naming Coventry and Stoke as teams that can cause issues despite their positions in the table.

Speaking to the Express & Star [4 December], Corberan shared: “The way we competed on Saturday doesn’t change my view of the team. I think, when we have every player ready and fit, we are a strong team.

“We can compete, like we did against Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester, teams in a good position in the table. But this year the table is not only about how you compete against teams of a good level, every single time you are on the pitch if you don’t show a very good level you are not going to win football games.

“You see Coventry’s position in the table, you see Stoke’s position in the table, these teams are going to demand of you the same that Ipswich or Leicester is demanding of us.

“This year the competition is amazing, and the level of the opponent is amazing too. The fact we competed against Southampton, where we lost, we competed on Saturday, but we lost, shows we still need to do more things to win the games.”

Points are there to be won

Albion has achieved some very impressive results so far this season, with the 2-0 win against Ipswich at The Hawthorns chief among them, but one-off results will not be enough to secure their future in another bid for promotion to the Premier League.

This should be seen as a call to arms from the Baggies boss – a call for his players to step up and ensure they fall on the right side of the tight games where the result could go either way. They need to show that extra bit of quality to earn those wins.

Narrow defeats to both Southampton and Leicester have shown West Brom can compete against the best sides in the league who look nailed on for promotion this season, and if Corberan’s side want to be up with them they need to show more.

It has been a strong start to the season, but winning those types of games could be the difference between a strong season and a brilliant one at The Hawthorns.

In other West Brom news, one 0% man may have started his last game for the club.