Southampton vs West Brom tips and predictions: Boing Boing Baggies bouncing to Wembley
Southampton play host to West Brom at St Marys' in the Championship play-off semi-finals on Friday (2000 BST) and we’re predicting an upset.
After a short playing career and time in the back room staff of several clubs, the Spaniard was a part of the 2019/20 Leeds United team that won promotion to the Premier League by winning the league title.
In 2020, Corberan was offered the head coach position at Huddersfield Town where in the season after he joined, they reached the 2022 play-off final and lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest.
Corberan joined Greek outfit Olympiakos just a month after the play-off defeat but was sacked after less than seven weeks due to poor league form.
Shortly after, he returned to English football in October 2022 with West Brom signing a two-and-half-year deal and extending his contract in February until 2027.
He led the Baggies to ninth and fifth placed finishes in the Championship, but in December 2024 he was named the new head coach of Valencia.
As a goalkeeper, he joined Valencia's youth ranks but did not manage to reach the first team.
Corberan played for the reserves team until the age of 23 when he decided to retire and start his coaching career at fellow Spanish side Villareal.
He was the fitness coach for their B and C teams until he was promoted to the main squad in 2011.
In 2012, Corberan joined the Saudi Arabian league with Al-Ittihad Club with Raul Caneda after being recommend by Pep Guardiola.
During his time there they reached the AFC Champions League semi-finals but it was not until 2014 when he became assistant manager with fellow Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr FC.
Corberan was joined once again by Caneda where they reached the Super Cup but lost and made the group phase of the AFC Champions League.
In November 2016, Corberan began his spell in Cyprus after joining Doxa Katokopias in the Cypriot First Division.
He was sacked the following January and joined Ermis Aradippou in the same month guiding the team to a seventh-place finish before leaving in the summer.
The Spaniard was only in charge for a total of 23 games across both Cyprian clubs.
Corberan joined Leeds United as their U21 manager in 2017 and eventually was promoted to the first team coaching staff in 2018 after the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa.
He continued managing the U21 team and found success in the 2018/19 season winning the PDL Northern League and then became National Professional Development League champions by beating Birmingham City in the final.
During this time Corberan became an influential member of the coaching staff with Bielsa even stating that he trusts his opinion 'more than his own'.
In his final year, he gained promotion with Leeds by winning the league title in a season that had to be paused due to the global pandemic back in 2020.
Leeds finished top of the league on 93 points with 28 wins and only nine losses across the whole season.
They had the best defensive record only conceding 35 goals and the joint second-best attack with 77 goals.
With Bielsa, Corberan established a side known for its high running, intense pressing and attacking prowess over the 2019/20 season.
Corberan made the switch to Yorkshire rival Huddersfield in July 2020 to begin his first head coach job in England.
In his first season, he managed to steer the club clear of relegation with a 20th place finish in the EFL Championship.
He managed 12 wins, 13 draws and 21 defeats whilst being knocked out of both cups in the earlier rounds.
His biggest defeat came after a 7-0 loss to Norwich in what was a somewhat underwhelming first season.
Although, the season after was very successful as after a near relegation Corberan managed to take The Terriers to a third-place finish on 82 points in the 2021/22 season.
He managed 23 wins and only 10 losses over a successful campaign but after reaching the play-off final they couldn't beat Steve Cooper's Nottingham Forest after a Levi Colwill own goal sealed a 1-0 defeat at Wembley.
Corberan won EFL Championship manager of the month for February for wins against Derby County, Fulham and Cardiff City.
A month after failing to reach the Premier League with Huddersfield, Corberan decided to move to Greece and join Olympiacos owned by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
It was believed that the reason behind his resignation from Huddersfield was he was not happy with the direction the club were going in.
Corberan managed to qualify for the Europa League group phase through the qualifying rounds but his league form was up and down.
He managed two wins, two draws and eventually a defeat to Alan Pardew's Aris before Olympiakos decided to part ways with him in September 2022.
The club was sat in sixth place with eight points from five games, with their club rivals Panathinaikos seven points ahead of them in first.
In their Europa League group, the club suffered defeats against Nantes and SC Freiburg.
After a month without a job Corberan made the switch back to England.
Corberan was appointed manager of West Brom in October 2022, taking over the Baggies when they were second from bottom after 16 games.
Just like his second season with Huddersfield, he took the side back up the league table and finished an impressive ninth placed finish.
Despite struggling finances and protests against the club's owner, Corberan still managed to achieve good results on the pitch as the club were competing for a play-off spot for most of the season.
However, a 3-2 defeat on the last day against Swansea City ended their hopes, along with other results not going their way.
He continued to improve West Brom in the 2023/24 campaign, leading them to a fifth-placed finish, but they lost to Southampton in the play-off semi-finals.
Corberan guided Albion to seventh place in the Championship by December 2024, just outside the play-off places on goals scored, despite claiming his playing budget had been reduced by 30%.
However, on Christmas Eve 2024, La Liga strugglers Valencia named Corberan as their new head coach after paying a £3-4m release clause. He replaced Ruben Baraja who had collected just two wins in 17 league matches this season.
Corberan, who is from the Valencia region, said on social media that the decision to leave Albion had been "the hardest of my life".
"There will always be a place in my heart for this special club and I hope one day I can return to thank you all for your incredible support," he said.
Corberan is married to Vanesa Mansilla after they met whilst he was working at Leeds, they had a son together and his son was born in Leeds.
Southampton play host to West Brom at St Marys' in the Championship play-off semi-finals on Friday (2000 BST) and we’re predicting an upset.
West Bromwich Albion play host to Southampton in the first leg of their Championship play-off on Sunday afternoon (1415 BST)
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