It’s 11.30am on a blustery morning at West Bromwich Albion’s training ground and Carlos Corberán is marching across the pitch with a ball under one arm and a whistle in his hand.
“Excellent,” he purrs, nodding approvingly as his players perform an intense pressing exercise, and it quickly becomes clear that Corberán is a head coach who is extremely hands-on.
He comes alive on the training pitch and Telegraph Sport has been given exclusive access to observe the highly rated Spaniard in full swing ahead of a packed fixture list.
A self-proclaimed disciple of Marcelo Bielsa, after working under the Argentine at Leeds, Corberán is a fascinating character and football obsessed who has transformed the culture within the club.
He is also emerging as a leader in a time of uncertainty; an emblem of hope for a fanbase that has become disillusioned and frustrated with the club’s direction.
West Brom is still under the control of unpopular owner Guochuan Lai and remains in discussions with a number of parties about a possible sale, with a Nigerian and American group said to be the two frontrunners.
The valuation is believed to be around £30 million, plus the various debts and loans. Sources have confirmed that negotiations are “in flux”.
‘Being a coach is a dream’
Corberán faces uncertainty if a takeover is not completed quickly, with pressure to raise money through player sales in the January transfer window.
But try telling him that. The 40-year-old refuses to allow any outside noise to harm the team spirit he has created. Whatever happens behind the scenes, ‘King Carlos’ will be there until 8pm every day to chart a path back to the Premier League.
“Being a coach is a dream and I couldn’t be more proud to represent this huge club,” he said. “Before I worked here it was one of the clubs that caught my attention, but now that I’m here I realize how important it is.
“You live with a lot of responsibility because you know how much impact you have on the club and the fans. I want to put this club at the highest point and do my best for them.”
‘It’s all about finding solutions’
This is a rare opportunity to witness the meticulous preparations and extreme detail of Corberán, who has guided West Brom to third place in the Championship.
In October he celebrated his year in charge. To mark the occasion, he presented each staff member with a bottle of Estrella beer (last Christmas it was a bottle of red wine from Valencia).
We were invited last Thursday, ahead of the game against high-flying Ipswich, and Corberán arranged a team meeting at 10.30am before the players start training. Meetings are the norm here, and again after training. The day before the match, each player is seen individually for 15 minutes.
Corberán’s meetings and training are absolutely crucial to convey his philosophy to the team.
His training method is based on periodization – a four-phase strategy of attack, defense and the transitions between them – with an emphasis on shorter, sharper sessions and the workload usually decreasing as match day approaches.
Tuesday and Wednesday are more detailed, longer sessions, broken down into analytical training with defense and attack drills, plus small games.
Corberán prefers to operate with a team of twenty players and during the session we observe, all outfield positions have two players essentially shadowing each other.
Thursday’s session delved deeper into how Ipswich’s perceived weaknesses can be exploited. Corberán prefers to work with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but in this game he uses a 4-4-2 deep shape. The plan was to target, pressure and isolate Ipswich’s right-back Brandon Williams, as left-back Leif Davis is often higher up the pitch with one winger wide. Pressing when out of possession was crucial.
It clearly worked: West Brom won 2-0 and condemned their opponents to a first league defeat since August 26.
“Football is growing and the coaches have a great understanding of the game. It is becoming increasingly difficult to prepare, but it is all about finding solutions,” says Corberán.
“It is important that players who enter the field do not feel that they have to give the right answer every time.
“Training can help us create habits and positive behavior, which is why our concentration levels are so high. Everyone must know everything that is asked in the game.”
Every player knows his job
Corberán’s squad is a mix of experience and emerging talent, including captain Jed Wallace, highly rated striker Brandon Thomas-Asante, goalkeeper Alex Palmer and playmaker John Swift.
There are high expectations for Caleb Taylor, the 20-year-old son of former Birmingham defender Martin and the academy’s latest graduate.
‘Aggression’ and ‘intensity’ are two words that Corberán regularly uses when giving instructions. Every player knows his job and if the team loses this weekend, it will not be due to a lack of preparation.
In addition to his coaches, another key member of Corberán’s backroom staff is Tony Strudwick, Albion’s medical director and former head of performance at England and Manchester United.
Strudwick works closely with Corberán to develop the weekly schedule, with each player’s fitness levels and stats recorded by GPS trackers. Players are being weighed every day and were asked to submit personal reports during their absence during the recent international break.
The mission is always to outsmart the opponent and West Brom have one of the strongest squads in a highly competitive league. The team’s average distance per match is 112 km (including the goalkeeper and centre-backs, who run less).
Fitness and athleticism are fundamental to Corberán’s explosive, energetic game.
Corberán idolizes Benítez
The manager’s influence also extends to the training ground canteen: bread, tomato ketchup and a number of other processed carbohydrates have been removed.
As you walk to the players’ locker room, there is a slogan on the wall that perfectly captures his approach.
“If people doubt how far you can go, go so far that you can no longer hear them,” it says.
Corberán, a former goalkeeper, has been waiting for these moments since he idolized Rafael Benítez during his time at Liverpool.
Corberán established his reputation in this country working with Leeds’ under-23s and then the first team. He still speaks to Bielsa regularly and describes the relationship as “a privilege”.
In his first job as No. 1, he guided Huddersfield Town to the Championship play-off final, which they lost to Nottingham Forest. Yet it is at West Brom where he feels most at home, and his impact has been significant.
After missing the play-offs on the final day of last season, hopes are high that he can progress further this time.
His team will be tested again on Saturday with the visit of leaders Leicester to the Hawthorns. As usual, ‘King Carlos’ will leave no stone unturned.