Championship predictions before the next international break include Plymouth fall, Leeds frustration
Woohoo, the Championship is back! But it’s only three weeks until the next international break. Oh, for f…
As much as most football fans find the early-season flurry of international breaks tedious, second-tier clubs are at least provided with some much-needed respite during the breathless slog of a Championship campaign.
Six matchdays are being crammed in before the next international interruption (starting on November 11) and the Championship picture will likely look completely different at the end of this schedule.
So with that, here are six predictions for what will/could happen during this block of fixtures…
(FYI: We also have a prediction per club for every Premier League team before the next international break, so check them out too!)
Managerless Premier League pair swoop for Carlos Corberan
As mentioned in our Premier League predictions, Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin are on the brink at Wolves and Southampton respectively and could even beat floundering Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag in the sack race.
O’Neil and Martin appear one terrible result away from losing their jobs, with them desperately needing an upturn in form as their relegation-threatened teams look to get their seasons off the ground.
At the moment, it’s hard to see where a win could come from for either side and if they are dismissed, West Brom boss Corberan should be near the top of their replacement shortlists.
With West Brom, the 41-year-old – just as he did with Huddersfield – has massively surpassed expectations as he somehow manages to challenge for promotion with an uninspiring squad which is comfortably outdone on the quality scale by fellow big-hitters at the summit.
The Baggies were rightly critiqued for their sub-par recruitment in the summer, but this did not make Corberan bat an eyelid; he’s the master of improving players and should be on the radar of Premier League clubs. He surely cannot be overlooked for big jobs for much longer and West Brom will do well to keep him until the end of this season.
READ: Six Championship stars you thought had retired include Chelsea PL winner, ex-Tottenham pair
Coventry City and Luton Town show faith
Before this campaign, Coventry City’s Mark Robins and Luton Town’s Rob Edwards would have been picked out by most as the two managers least likely to be victims of a mid-season sacking.
However, the ever-unpredictable Championship has come up trumps once again as Robins and Edwards are at risk, with their sides collecting just eight points from their opening nine league games.
During prediction season in the summer, Coventry and Luton were widely fancied as potential promotion contenders but have been major flops as they sit just above the relegation zone after nine matches.
Robins and Edwards benefit from having credit in the bank amid recent overachievements, but this will only take them so far and their jobs could soon be under severe threat.
The current promotion candidates could soon drift away from Coventry and Luton unless there’s a sudden post-break upturn. This would be a major disappointment, but the calibre of their squads and managers are comfortably clear of the relegation contingent. This should make a difference in the coming weeks as the pressure on Robins and Edwards gradually eases, while their clubs go against the grain by showing faith in their manager in worrying times.
“The first time was so nice, Portsmouth had to do it twice”
Since winning the League One title last season, Portsmouth have been given a rude awakening in the Championship and made one of the biggest mistakes in the summer when they sanctioned a marquee transfer.
Nine games in, John Mousinho’s side have five draws but zero wins and have been on the end of one-sided defeats against Stoke City (6-1) and West Brom (3-0).
Mousinho is another manager with credit in the bank and Portsmouth were always likely to be in a relegation battle this season, but they will become increasingly desperate for that elusive first league win of the campaign.
Portsmouth’s next six games could prove to be pretty pivotal in deciding their fate this season as all their matches are against bottom-half opponents: QPR, Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City, Plymouth Argyle and Preston.
While their performances have been far from good enough in certain games, Portsmouth held their own and were slightly unfortunate not to win away at Leeds United and Middlesbrough. So during their favourable upcoming run of games, they will get not one but two victories on the board. They will remain a firm favourite for relegation, though.
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Plymouth Argyle’s relegation fears intensify
Fair play to Wayne Rooney; the September Manager of the Month candidate shut up his critics before the latest international break. Plymouth found their home comforts to move away from the relegation zone with wins over Sunderland, Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers.
In their other games, West Brom and Burnley narrowly beat the Pilgrims on the road, but the performances by Rooney‘s side were a far cry from their disastrous opening day showing in the 4-0 loss to Sheff Weds.
Plymouth’s recent set of results leaves them 14th in the Championship and four points clear of the relegation zone after coming into this season with the sole goal of securing survival.
Home Park has quickly become a fortress, but their woes on the road last season (just three wins in 23 games) have carried over as Rooney’s side are still searching for their first away win of the campaign.
This will be a worry for Rooney, especially with four away games coming up over the next three weeks. Speaking as a Rotherham United supporter, I know better than most how difficult it can be to get over a travelling hoodoo and were Plymouth to remain winless in these four matches, they would almost certainly drop some places and find themselves in the thick of the relegation mix again.
READ: Rooney sack, likely Man Utd return talk nonsense as Plymouth boss silences desperate doubters
Norwich City on the brink of automatic promotion places
Following the summer exits of Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe, a season of mid-table mediocrity seemed on Norwich City’s horizon, but this has not been the case.
Championship joint-top scorer Borja Sainz has stepped up to become Norwich’s new main man, while Joshua Sargent continues to shine at this level after he missed out on a deserved Premier League move in the summer.
35-year-old Johannes Hoff Thorup has been a revelation since being named head coach in the summer and he’ll soon be assisted by Arsenal legend Jack Wilshere, who is in ‘advanced’ talks to join the club as first-team coach.
The early noise concerning Wilshere’s coaching credentials are promising after impressing with Arsenal’s U18s and this is certainly a step in the right direction.
His arrival is a further boost for Norwich, who are increasingly looking like a force to be reckoned with this season. Their home draws against Sheffield United and Leeds United caught the eye, while their run of three wins in four moved them within a point of the play-offs before the international break.
The break may have come at a terrible time for Norwich and their resolve will be tested as four of their next six games are away. But barring Middlesbrough, all of their upcoming opponents are in the bottom half and Thorup’s side are capable of brushing them aside. They are already just four points adrift of the top two and could truly gatecrash the automatic promotion party in the coming weeks.
Inconsistent Leeds United remain on the fringe
Leeds United were many people’s pre-season favourites to win the Championship and they showed why that’s the case on Friday night as they beat promotion rivals Sheffield United 2-0 at Elland Road.
Comfortably the better side, Leeds were wasteful in front of goal before scoring twice in the final 20 minutes to take the game away from their local rivals, who conceded for the first time since the end of August.
As is usually the case with Leeds United, the last few months have been a rollercoaster for the West Yorkshire outfit. But after their play-off final heartache, infuriating summer transfer window and disappointing opening to the season, Daniel Farke’s side – who are unbeaten in five matches – are building momentum ahead of the festive period.
While most sides at the top have already shown their frailties at times this season, Leeds certainly seem to be the most complete of the bunch and will fancy their chances of building up a gap at the top following their statement win against the Blades.
However, Leeds United being frustrating is one of few certainties in the Championship and one or two slip-ups should be expected against inferior opponents in the next few weeks as Farke’s side remain in touch with the top sides instead of marching out in front on their own.
