Slaven Bilic has revealed that it is much easier for the teams in the Championship play-off spots to find a run of form due to a severe lack of pressure they face.
The West Brom manager admitted to The Express and Star that the Baggies are learning to cope with the pressure of being a top-two side in the English second-tier as the race for promotion to the Premier League heats up as we head into the second half of the season, with Bilic’s side sitting firmly in the driving seat.
Despite a rough start to 2020, West Brom have found a solid run of form in recent weeks with the Albion claiming 10 points out a possible 12 and putting themselves a good four points ahead of Leeds United in second place in the Championship standings, and Bilic believes West Brom’s position adds that extra pressure in what is already a hostile league to compete in.
Are West Brom going to bottle their position in the top-two?YesNo |
The Croatian manager said: “It is much easier to be third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh than first or second. If you read about Forest they are dreaming, Brentford are hoping to get into the top two. But when you are top two you have to (win promotion). That is a pressure you have to cope with. Of course, you wouldn’t swap, of course, you wouldn’t. They would swap with us, but it is easier.”
Keeping top spot in the Championship is one of the hardest achievements to accomplish in English football, yet West Brom have claimed first place for the majority of the season as tables from Transfermarkt show, and after overcoming their patchy run of form at the start of the year, the Baggies now look set to yet again take the league by storm and win their place in next season’s Premier League.
