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Huddersfield Town’s return to the Championship has often been a story of relegation threats and an overriding feeling of distaste amongst the fanbase that has turned the past 24 months of supporting the Terriers into a relatively negative one.
This season has been different though, the side currently sit inside the play-off places where the West Yorkshire outfit have been battling since the start of the campaign.
Under head coach Carlos Corberán, the Terriers once again seem to be creating a clear and definitive style and identity that not only the players are buying into but more importantly so are the fans.
For any club, the fans investing into the manager’s identity and stylistic ideologies are pivotal to success. Keeping supporters happy and engaged within the club only come as a bonus as a happy fanbase often comes with a synergy of successful football clubs.
There is no greater mark this success than the Yorkshire club’s current placement in the table and the ongoing streak the side finds itself in.
As mentioned above, the Terriers sit in fifth place on goal difference and have amassed an impressive 49 points from the 31 games which is a real marker of how the side have played thus far.
Although their position may change after every side has played their 31 games, it serves as a good baseline to see how the side are performing this season.
To put this into further context, in the past two seasons Huddersfield have finished on 51 points in the 2019-20 campaign whilst collecting 49 points last season. With the way the side is collecting points – at the rate of 1.58 per game – Town are set to pick up 73 points, 8 points less than the club’s 2016-17 promotion tally.
To re-focus on this season, and the side’s performances on paper, the way this campaign is going is certainly an upgrade on the past few seasons and from watching the performances this is only more evident.
The stylistic identity for Corberán has rarely shifted since he arrived from the Leeds United set-up in July 2020.
The Spaniard more often than not looks to play his system with the ability to be fluid between formations, noticeably the 3-4-3 being the preferred set-up with the ability to switch into the 4-3-3 also being heavily relied on, whilst having a heavy focus also on playing-out from the back.
This season has only been more evident, with Corberán starting to use the three at the back system more exclusively, likely due to the presence and talent in his wing-backs that are essential to the system.
The Terriers are covered quite heavily in these positions with Sorba Thomas and Harry Toffolo often Corberán’s starting partnership.
However, with Pipa gradually returning from injury, it could see Thomas push further up the pitch and with the Welshman’s current contribution numbers, this would not be too opposed by fans of the Yorkshire side.
The overlining highlight in this season so far is the current streak that Corberán’s side finds itself in the middle of, with the Terriers currently unbeaten since November 27.
The culmination of a 12 game unbeaten streak in the league is a run that is more than definitely able to be considered play-off form, if not even automatic promotion form with the number of points [21] the side have picked up in this time.
Whilst there are many other positives within this Huddersfield side that very well could result in the Terriers being in the play-off places at the end of the season, there seems to be a recurring issue that has seemed to continue through from the past few seasons.
There has been a notable drop off in the Terriers’ play. The last two seasons saw spells of 15 minute periods which often were the peak of games for the side and these often occurred at the start of each half with Corberán’s men often rare to build on it.
This season, however, the West Yorkshire outlet have seemed to extend these spells, especially at home. In the first half, the Terriers have led at half-time in seven and have only been behind at the break in four of their 15 games.
Away from the John Smith’s Stadium though, the story hasn’t been the same. Huddersfield have only been ahead twice at the interval, yet have been level 12 times. This truly shows how much the Terriers’ approach to games changes in the perspectives of home and away fixtures, something Corberán struggled with last season tactically.
Taking a step back though, the majority of the side’s goals conceded come in the final 15 minute segment of games. With 10 of the 17 goals conceded in the second half coming in this stint, which leads you to believe the Terriers are dominant for the first 60 minutes but are susceptible to energy level drop-offs due to the high energy system, which in theory sees them often concede late on.
This opens up the question of whether their first-half form can be translated to the full game, and the key to it is likely the substitutions with Ollie Turton, Josh Koroma, Jordan Rhodes and Scott High being the most subbed on, however, rarely change the game.
The introductions to the side in January though could be the difference makers and could be the star factor that could allow the Terriers to achieve a play-off finish which, at the start of the season would have been a dissentient opinion, to say the least.
In comparison though, to suggest now the Terriers could well be within the reach of potential play-off placement seems a rather safe prediction and one that could come into fruition if Corberán can further iron out his side’s inconsistencies.
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