EFL pundit Don Goodman expects West Ham, Wolves, and Middlesbrough to dominate the top of the Championship table heading into the November international break, while backing Boro to mount a serious promotion challenge under manager Kim Hellberg.
Assessing the second-tier landscape, Goodman reckons the upcoming block of seven fixtures will separate the genuine contenders from the rest of the pack.
Seven up
“Yeah, that’s the way it’s feeling at the moment. There are seven games between now and the November international break; that’s 21 points, a lot of points,” Goodman said in an exclusive chat with OLBG.
“You’d have to believe, if you’re of sound mind, that West Ham, Middlesbrough, and Wolves will all have the quality to be in and around the top at the end of those seven games.”
While acknowledging current league leaders Swansea City, former West Brom striker Goodman noted that the unpredictable nature of the division means nothing is guaranteed.
“Swansea are currently top. We’ve spoken about their difficult run in the next four games, certainly, so the jury’s got to be out on them, but I do like what I’ve seen of them so far,” Goodman explained.
Baggies must bounce back
“West Brom need to bounce back after that Wolves defeat, as the performance was worrying. QPR haven’t won against anybody above 15th yet, though I know it’s early stages.
“So that’s the assessment of the current top six. Of the others, you would expect Southampton, Millwall, and Norwich to move up the table.
“All in all, I think we’re going into a period where I’d expect those teams to rise and the cream, yes, in generic terms, to be rising to the top. Albeit the Championship is the Championship, and it usually throws up some surprises.
“So expect somebody that people might not fancy too much to put a good run together and come through as a contender.”
READ MORE: EFL Championship: West Brom vs Birmingham preview and prediction
Hellberg highly rated
Turning his attention to Middlesbrough, Goodman expressed no surprise at their strong start to the campaign, praising Hellberg for moving swiftly in the transfer market to reinvest the funds generated by high-profile departures.
“I rate Kim Hellberg very, very highly. I think he got a lot of the business done reasonably early enough for him to have players on the training ground and work with them,” Goodman said.
“The new players, that is – obviously the old players know the way he wants to play. That hasn’t changed. So I’m not really surprised.
“I think they’ve done some brilliant business in the summer, utilising the Hayden Hackney and Morgan Rogers money.”
Squad upgrades
Despite losing key midfield assets, Goodman believes Boro have successfully strengthened their squad with the additions of Radek Vítek, Will Lankshear, and Amario Cozier-Duberry.
“With respect, although they lost Hayden Hackney, who was the best player in the Championship last season, you generally have to say that they’ve upgraded in key areas,” Goodman added.
“And I do mean that with the greatest of respect to the players that did well and were in the team last season.
“But Radek Vítek in goal, Lankshear, and Amario Cozier-Duberry, I think that’s a huge one. I’ve got to be honest, I think those three are going to be big for Middlesbrough this season.”
Case for the defence
Even with an unbeaten six-game run under their belts, the pundit warned that Middlesbrough must tighten up defensively if they are to sustain their push at the top end of the table.
“I think the big thing for me is, although they’re unbeaten in their last six – they’ve won three and drawn three – I think they can play a lot better. Better than we’ve seen so far,” Goodman noted.
“I think they’re conceding way more goals than they should be. There are individual errors and things like that which they need to cut out.
“They’ve conceded 12 goals in their first eight games, with just one clean sheet.
“When you compare that to when Kim Hellberg first went in, it took 14 games to concede 12 goals, rather than eight.
“That’s an area where there are a couple of new players – obviously the goalkeeper and Ashley Phillips spring to mind.
“So maybe that’s the area of the pitch that has just taken a little bit more time to bed in.
“Overall, I’m not surprised they’re doing well, and I do expect them to be doing well come May.”
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