Carlos Corberán has warned Albion they must stay completely focused on their work and not take their eye off the ball as a result of “applause”.
The Baggies, who sit top of the Sky Bet Championship table ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday (ko 12.30pm), have earned plenty of plaudits for the performances they’ve been producing so far this term.
Carlos Corberán’s men have made their best start to a season after six matches since 1992/93, winning five and drawing one while also keeping four clean sheets.
The boss admits praise gives them added “motivation”, but also stressed the importance of improvement and consistency in a league which offers up “no easy games”.
Carlos said: “I’ve told my players to enjoy the applause, but to stay focused on their work. When you lose focus on your work, that’s when you make mistakes and your level drops.
“Of course, the applause is a consequence of the hard work we have been putting in and the rewards we have been getting in terms of victories so far. It’s a massive motivation to keep going, too.
“You have to believe in your work and stay focused. That is our task. That is our task whether we are first in the table or any other position in the table. Nothing changes.
“The stronger you are, the stronger we have to be to stay where we are. Now, the opponent will see us at the top of the table, but we cannot see ourselves at the top of the table. We need to know how hard we need to work to achieve results.
“In this Championship, it’s impossible to find an easy game. Every game is different with different challenges. You have to give your best.”
Sheffield Wednesday defeated Albion 3-0 at Hillsborough in April, but have only collected four points from their first six fixtures in 2024/25.
Corberán thinks they were unlucky to lose at recently-relegated Luton Town last Saturday and is predicting an eye-catching campaign for the Owls.
“I think despite their results, Sheffield Wednesday have started this season as well as they finished the previous one in terms of the competitiveness and their mentality.
“The results don’t always show a true reflection of what has happened on the pitch.
“Last weekend, they played against Luton who were competing in the Premier League last season. They were winning 1-0 away from home and then they had a player sent-off towards the end. Luton went on to score two goals and take the three points.
“If you analyse the game, they didn’t deserve to lose. Maybe, if they had got those three points, people might be looking at this game in a different way.
“In six games, you cannot come to conclusions. They are a very tough team because they have a clear identity, a very good coach and some very good players. They signed important players in the summer and signed players permanently who had done well for them on loan, just like us with Mikey Johnston.
“The signings have made them a stronger team than what they were last season, so it will be a very difficult game for us.
“It’s a very interesting team we’re coming up against. I would not be surprised to see them in some of the key positions in the table at the end of the season because I believe they have everything to be there.
“I expect a very similar game to the one we played in last season when we lost 3-0. We clearly have to be much, much better this time around to get a good result.”
