Middlesbrough have had a mixed season till now. If they were shown a footage of their displays at the start of the season they might have been fairly pleased with their organisation and their ability to compete at his level. After a gap of 7 years, coming into the Premier League and trying to blend in is not always easy. And with the massive increase in competition this year, as it is with every passing year, it is a huge ask for the club to stay relevant in the scheme of things. And that is what Boro have successfully achieved.
Middlesbrough have shown that they are not shy when it comes to transfer dealings and have shown they are ready to punch above their weight if need be. They almost pulled off the signing of Subotic and were successful with Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes. The club is ready to spend and make a name for themselves in the league. Their draw and the win at the very beginning set the tone for their season. That they would be difficult to beat and that their strength would be their organisational ability was evident.
Karanka has traditionally been known to be adamant when it came to the issues of altering his formation or personnel and this had led to some doubts in the summer whether he could adjust to the rigours of the League or not. But he has been more than accommodating and has shown that he is ready to tweak to keep Boro safe.
But along with their defensive solidity and the latest changes in formation, they seem to have lost a huge chunk of their attacking sharpness. Negredo has been starved of service and the likes of Traore and Ramirez haven’t been able to sustain the performances.
It is understandable and expected given the drastic change in quality the League has undergone. Karanka had previously noted that he would be making more signings and that seems to be the case again.
And according to a report, he wishes to further enhance his attacking options after signing Rudy Gestede, with the pursuit of Bojan Krkic. The former Barcelona man hasn’t been setting the world alight at Stoke and after the emergence of Joe Allen in an advanced area, it seems that he might be open to a more prominent role elsewhere.
Boro will do well to sign him and it is expected that with regular Gametime, a marked improvement might come into his play.
