PREM BOUND: Could Huddersfield Town be Championship play-off dark horses?

Featured Image Credit: Huddersfield Examiner

Last season was a very tough one for Huddersfield Town. Struggling at the bottom of the Championship for most of the season, it was not a very enjoyable season for

new manager Carlos Corberán. They ended up finishing just above the relegation zone in what was a very unimpressive maiden season for Corberan and his side which nearly cost him his job. However Huddersfield decided to give him another chance to prove he is the right man for the job. And so far this season, it looks like it could be paying off. 

THE SQUAD

One key factor of Huddersfield’s great start is the squad. Corberán knew

improvement was needed after what was a lack-lustre start to the season last time

around.

One key player so far for Town this season has been Sorba Thomas. The

Welsh national winger has had an absolute fantastic start to the season for

Huddersfield. With Corberán utilising a 3 at the back system, Thomas has been

playing either side of the wing backs in the system. And so far it has paid off

massively. Thomas has managed 1 goal and 4 assists in the opening 6 matches.

With these assists being crucial in games to get the side 3 points. He also managed

the accolade of Player of the Month for the month of August due to his fantastic

performances for the terriers.

Another key figure in this squad is Josh Koroma. After suffering quite a lot with injury issues in the previous campaign, Koroma has been itching to get back on the pitch. He has already hit the ground running though, even after this massive setback. He has managed 2 goals and 1 assist in the opening 7 and has been a key factor for the Terriers going forward and creating their chances. It may not always be noticed but his work off the ball is just as sublime as his work on the ball, making multiple runs and creating the space for his fellow teammates.

Also, securing the loan signature of Levi Colwill has been a massive coup for the

Terriers. The 18 year old centre back from Chelsea has fit straight into the

Huddersfield defence. With the club already managing 3 clean sheets and Colwill

has also managed to score a 94th winner against Sheffield United to get a massive

three points. He looks to be the perfect addition to the Huddersfield defence and he

could really be a key factor in cutting out them scrappy and careless performances

defensively we saw from them in the last campaign. 

CAN THEY MAINTAIN IT?

A lot of teams have great starts to their seasons, but the question usually is can

these teams maintain that level of quality over an entire season. I do not believe that

Huddersfield will be in the playoff picture this season. However, I do believe that they

will have a much more enjoyable season than they did last season. They set up

much more solid and impressive than last season. With this new 3 at the back

system seeming to be working very well for Huddersfield so far. With a better set up

and some good additions to the squad, we will hopefully see some vast

improvements for Huddersfield in an attempt to see them gradually move towards a

chance to regain their Premier League status. Obviously a club which has been in

the top flight in very recent times and to now see them towards the bottom of the second tier, it’s certainly not what the fans expect and it needs to change in order to

get the fans back on board with the project. Overall will be another hard season for

Huddersfield but I do believe it will improve. 

To conclude, it looks like times are on the up for the Terriers. What has been a very

tough recent period looks like it could be progressively improving. This season is

crucial for improvements, especially for the manager Corberán as his job could

depend on improved success for the club this campaign. If they can even finish mid

table it would be a big improvement on last season’s relegation battle. Overall, it’s a

good start for Huddersfield but they cannot get carried away as it is still very early in

this season and a lot can change between now and the end of the campaign.