After weeks of speculation, Garry Monk has finally become Middlesbrough’s manager. Monk has signed a three-year deal that states he is the manager and not head coach. This means that Monk will have complete control over transfers, staff and player contracts.
Chairman Steve Gibson has put a lot of faith and pressure on Monk as he told reporters that he wants Middlesbrough to ‘smash the league’ and hopefully go straight back up. Rather than floundering in the Championship for many years like Boro did last time they went down. So, Monk will be under a lot of pressure to get good results straight away.
With that in mind, here are several things Monk most do to ensure Middlesbrough are promoted next season.
Get Bamford back to his best
Patrick Bamford signed for Boro in January this year for £5.87 million from Chelsea after failing to break into their main squad and after a series of poor loan spells at Crystal Palace Burnley and Norwich. Bamford also found limited success at Middlesbrough this season making just nine appearances for Boro and scoring one goal. This was also his first goal for any club since his last spell at Boro between 2014/15.
However, if Monk wishes to succeed at Boro, getting Bamford back to his best could play a huge role in that. This is because if Bamford plays like he did during his first spell at the club in 2014/15 it would be very hard to see Boro not finishing in a top six spot.
During his loan spell at Boro in 2014/15, Bamford finished as the club’s top scorer with 17 in the league. He helped guide them to a playoff final. He also won the Championship player of the year which shows just how good he was in his first spell at Boro.
Furthermore, towards the end of this season, Bamford did begin to start a few more games. He also scored his first goal since 2015 as mentioned earlier. What is perhaps most impressive though is Bamford’s drive to get back to his best.
He cut his holiday short to return to Boro’s training ground to work with the physios and conditioning trainers to help him improve. This shows Bamford himself has the drive to be as good as he was in his previous spell at Boro.
So, if Monk puts faith in him there’s no reason why he couldn’t be Middlesbrough’s top scorer again. Hopefully leading the Reds straight back up. But what is certain is that Monk must give Bamford a chance if he wishes to win promotion in his first season at Middlesbrough.
Add pace and flair
One problem Middlesbrough had last season was their lack of creativity, flair and pace. Gaston Ramirez was perhaps Boro’s most creative player. However, after a falling out with Karanka in January he was never the same for the rest of the season. Ramirez also looks likely to be leaving the club in the summer.
Middlesbrough’s only other really pacey creative player was Adama Traore who managed zero goals and one assist all season. This shows Middlesbrough have a serious problem in the attacking department in terms of pace and creativity. This was also evident throughout last season as Middlesbrough finished on just 27 goals for the season. The lowest out of all 20 clubs.
The chairman has even stated that he wishes to add more pace and flair. ‘We have a core of players who we feel are more than capable.We need to add to them, more flair, more pace’. With this in mind, it is clear Boro need some serious improvement in attack.
Therefore, if Monk wishes to gain promotion next season, he must add a few fast creative attackers to make Boro a credible attacking threat.
Keep Middlesbrough solid defensively
While it is clear Monk needs to bring in some better attacking options, it is important for him to remember to make sure Middlesbrough remain a solid defensive unit.
Admittedly, when Agnew took over Karanka, Boro’s defensive record fell apart. But before Agnew’s spell, Karanka had turned Middlesbrough into a very good defensive side.
When Karanka left in March, Boro had conceded just 30 goals in 27 games. At that time, this was the joint 5th best defence in the Premier League. Even Liverpool and Arsenal had conceded more than Boro when Karanka left.
Moreover, in Middlesbrough’s promotion winning season they let in just 31 goals in 46 games. This was the lowest in the league. It also played a huge role in Boro earning the 2nd place as both Boro and Brighton finished with 89 points.
However, Middlesbrough’s superior goal difference, (32 to Brighton’s 30), meant that Boro earned automatic promotion. This left Brighton to fight it out in the playoffs which they lost that year. This further demonstrates why Monk must ensure Middlesbrough remain a solid defensive side.
Because if they had not been so good at the back when they were promoted last time they may have had to fight it out in the playoffs in place of Brighton. Meaning, they could have then lost in the playoffs like Brighton did.
Overall Monk needs to keep the solid defensive work rate that Karanka built up. But he also needs to add attacking players with flair and pace to make sure Boro are also a threat going forward. Which they were not this season.
