Ahead of a pivotal weekend in the Championship promotion race, West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic has addressed critics that are ready to see his side and Leeds United 'bottle it'.
The second tier returned to action last weekend, with the top two both dropping points, as the Baggies were held at home by Birmingham City and Leeds went down in Cardiff.
The pair still maintain a seven-point buffer to third-placed Fulham, but this weekend sees the two top-four clashes as West Brom visit Brentford on Friday night, before Leeds host the Cottagers on Saturday.
Results here could set the tone for the rest of the promotion run-in and Bilic is a firm believer that it is better to be leading the way, rather than chasing at this point.
“If this was the start of the season after the break and all that it would be hard to get this level of motivation,” Bilic said ahead of his side's clash against the Bees. “But when you consider there’s only a few weeks left and there’s so much at stake, you are totally in a moment.
“The negative thing about being first or second is there’s an element of people wondering ‘Are Leeds and us going to bottle it?’ That applies to Fulham and Brentford too, but they are hoping that happens.
“They would rather be in our position. It’s better to be where we are. Is it difficult? Of course it’s difficult. But there’s an old Chinese proverb which says: ‘The sun is hottest at the very top of the mountain, but also the wind is strongest.’
“You can crumble, but if you’re together that’s a big thing. I wouldn’t swap with any one of them.”
Brentford's win over Fulham last weekend saw them move to within a point of the Cottagers and they know a win against Albion can further crank up the pressure on the top two.
“Their name is a bit of a surprise, but not their team,” Bilic added. “They are a top team and we have big respect for them. It’s going to be a very big test and we will have to be on top of our game.
“We are not big time Charlies. We are confident but we are humble. But we are number one and for the whole season we have been number one or number two.
“That’s not because we are some kind of wild cards - it’s because week-in, week-out, we’ve done it. It’s a massive game.
“We have to just concentrate on ourselves. This game is bigger than the other one.
“It’s more than a three-point game. We are competing against our direct contenders and it will be crucial. Key thing is not to lose.”
