Boro Take A Point Away At West Brom

West Brom    0        Middlesbrough    0

Boro remained unbeaten in the Premier League after three games following an uneventful goalless draw away at West Brom.

To the neutral, this will have been viewed as a rather drab affair between two sides who lacked any sort of quality in the third.

In truth it’s still a bit of a mystery how the match was chosen to be televised on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday, yet for Aitor Karanka’s side this was far from a bad result.

Brad Guzan makes a save to deny James McClean

(Picture from Sky Sports)

A point away from home is never a bad one, especially in the Premier League, and it now means that Boro have taken five points from a possible nine going into next week’s international break.

West Brom may have edged the first half in terms of chances, yet Boro defended well throughout, with Adam Clayton and Adam Forshaw protecting the back four effectively all afternoon.

The one concern for the Boro boss will have been the service up to Alvaro Negredo, who fed off scraps for most of the game, as most of Boro’s crosses from wide areas were regularly overcooked or hit the first man.

Even so, West Brom boss Tony Pulis will no doubt be the more disappointed manager following goalless stalemate.

This was a game which his side would have been expected to win, yet after a promising 20-minute spell, in which West Brom pressed high up the pitch and looked a threat, their performance tailed off significantly.

In the end both sides appeared happy to settle for a point and neither showed the sort of ambition which is required to win a Premier League game.

Boro can take solace from their first clean sheet of the campaign, despite the fact that first choice goalkeeper Victor Valdes and stand-in captain George Friend were both out injured.

That meant Brad Guzan kept his place in goal, while Antonio Barragan was shifted out to left back.  Daniel Ayala returned from an ankle injury to partner Ben Gibson in defence.

Pulis made three changes from the side which lost at home to Everton in the league last weekend, as Jonas Olsson, Craig Gardner and Saido Berahino all dropped to the bench.

That meant a debut for 18-year-old Sam Field in midfield, as Brendan Galloway and James McClean also came in.

It didn’t take long for referee Anthony Taylor to dish out the first yellow card of the afternoon, when Ayala flew into a crunching challenge on Galloway after just two minutes.

Moments later the visitors were nearly undone by a lung-busting run from McClean, who ran with the ball from inside his own half before cutting in from the left and firing wide.

On 11 minutes the Irish winger came close again. McClean was picked out by Darren Fletcher inside the penalty area but Guzan did well to come off his line and make a low save with his feet.

Boro were clearly trying to start a lot of their attacks by passing out from the back and they were nearly forced onto a mistake on 21 minutes.

Gibson seemed to change his mind about a pass  which he was going to make and lost possession to Fletcher deep inside the Boro half.

From a promising position the Scottish midfielder over hit his cross and the visitors were let off the hook.

Boro’s best chance of the first half came when Negredo spun away Gareth McAuley on the halfway line, which opened up some space for the Spaniard to run into.

However, the striker hesitated when he approached the penalty area and the backtracking defender was allowed to recover.

In the opening 45 minutes Galloway and Matt Phillips had combined well on Albion’s left hand side. Ten minutes after the restart the latter pounced on a loose ball and cut inside on to his right foot but his effort was blocked.

Boro had a couple of chances late on but Cristhian Stuani’s shot was straight at keeper Ben Forster. Ayala then registered another effort on target after a goalmouth scramble but Foster held it easily.

The draw means that Boro have now taken four points from a possible six on their travels. They can now look forward to a home clash with Crystal Palace in two weeks’ time.

West Brom v Middlesbrough Preview

Aitor Karanka believes that Boro’s defeat at Fulham in midweek can prompt a positive response from his side ahead of their Premier League clash with West Brom this weekend.



Boro suffered a night to forget at Craven Cottage on Wednesday, as they were dumped out of the EPL Cup in extra time, however Karanka is looking ahead his side’s third league game of the season on Sunday afternoon.



“After the game on Wednesday, the team knows we need to win again,” said the Boro boss. "We have to move on because the cup was disappointing for everyone."



“I am confident because since I arrived here after a bad game, most of the time we have had a positive reaction.”



Karanka also is also hoping to build some momentum following Boro’s victory at Sunderland a week ago. Even so, he isn’t taking anything for granted ahead of the trip to the Hawthorns.



“Mistakes in the Premier League cost three points and the players know how important it is to add points, especially at the beginning of the season,” said Karanka in his pre-match press conference.



“I am looking forward to the game. In the league we are in a good position and we have to keep this momentum going.”



Team News



Karanka’s biggest concern is at left back after both Fabio and George Friend suffered injuries on Wednesday.



The Boro boss confirmed that the former won’t travel with the team Hawthorns while Friend is also unlikely to be fit.



In goal Victor Valdes remains side-lined with a muscle injury so Brad Guzan could keep his place. Meanwhile Grant Leadbitter, Marten De Roon and James Husband remain out with long term injuries.



West Brom will access full-back Brendan Galloway ahead of the game after the Everton loanee suffered a hamstring injury in mid-week.



That could pave the way for 16-year-old Kane Wilson to make his Premier League debut, after he came on against Northampton in the cup on Tuesday.



The Opposition



Like Boro, West Brom were knocked out of the cup after extra time in midweek.



The Baggies were beaten on penalties by League One side Northampton and Tony Pulis will also be hopeful of a positive response.



West Brom don’t create too many chances going forward and last season only Aston Villa scored less goals from open play.



Even so they are usually well organised at the back and can pose a threat from set-plays, with the likes of Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans and Craig Dawson all good in the air.



West Brom won their opening league game with a 1-0 victory away at Crystal Palace. However, they were then beaten at home to Everton last weekend.



One To Watch



Salomón Rondón



The Venezuelan striker is already off the mark this campaign after heading home the winner at Palace on the opening day.



He is a powerful figure, who is good in the air and can hold the ball up well, so Boro will have to be aware of him on Sunday.



Last Time Out



West Brom 2 Middlesbrough 0 – 17/4/2010



The last time these two sides met was six years ago, when both teams were in the Championship following relegation from the top flight.



Simon Cox opened the scoring on the stroke of half time before Czech striker Roman Bednar doubled West Brom’s lead ten minutes after half time.



The Baggies went on to earn automatic promotion that season while Boro missed out on the play-offs.

Stuani Double Gives Boro Victory Over Sunderland

Sunderland    1        Middlesbrough    2

                               Van Aanholt 71                                                 Stuani 13 45

Boro recorded their first victory of the new Premier League season with a 2-1 win away at local rivals Sunderland.

Cristhian Stuani struck twice before half time, as Aitor Karanka’s men were assured at the back and kept possession well in an impressive 45-minutes spell.

Christian Stuani celebrates his opening goal (Picture from Sky Sports)

An injury hit Sunderland side did manage to force a nervy finish, when full back Patrick van Aanholt halved the deficit with 20 minutes to go. However, Boro held on to escape with all three points.

Karanka sprung a couple of surprises when the team sheet was released, not least in goal where Brad Guzan made his debut by replacing Victor Valdes who was nursing a hamstring injury.

Jordan Rhodes didn’t feature against Stoke, but that fact that his name wasn’t even included on the subs bench left immediate questions about future at the club.

Stuani’s selection ahead of Adomah on the right may also have raised a few eyebrows. However, Karanka’s decision which was quickly justified.

On 13 minutes the Uruguayan forward received the ball on a Boro counter attack and galloped towards the edge of the Sunderland penalty area, where he had time to assess his options.

Still a tackle didn’t come, so after a quick glance up Stuani tried his luck. From there he drilled the ball high into the top corner of the net with a fine strike, leaving keeper Vito Mannone with no chance.

Prior to Boro’s opener, Sunderland had started the better side and looked particularly threatening down the right where Adnan Januzaj was causing problems.

Yet, the opening goal settled Boro and they began to move the ball efficiently through midfield, with Adam Forshaw particularly catching the eye.

Sunderland weren’t helped by an injury to their captain John O’Shea, who joined their endless injury list midway through the first half and was replaced by new signing Steven Pienaar.

That meant a defensive re-shuffle for the hosts and Boro took full advantage on the stroke of half time.

A well-weighted pass from Forshaw found Alvaro Negredo in the penalty area and after some clever hold up play the Spanish striker found Stuani who was left with a tap in.

Sunderland responded after the interval, as manager David Moyes replaced defender Paddy McNair with the significantly more offensive Jeremain Lens.

Boro defended well but once again they were guilty of dropping too deep and allowing the opposition to take control, like on the opening weekend against Stoke.

The visitors had Guzan to thank when he made an instinctive save to deny Van Aarnholt low down, however the Boro keeper should have done better moments later. 

Duncan Watmore took a long range shot, which Guzan could only spill in front on him, and Van Aarnholt slid home the rebound.

That set up a grandstand finish and Sunderland came close to equalising when Jermaine Defoe’s close range effort was blocked by Ben Gibson.

Boro hung on, though, and claimed their first three points of the campaign.

Sunderland v Middlesbrough Preview

Aitor Karanka is ready for his first derby match in English football but doesn’t believe his side are the favourites ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Sunderland.

The Black Cats have a long injury list going into the game at the Stadium of Light, however Karanka is still expecting a difficult game against Boro’s North East neighbours.

“[Sunderland] have more experience than us,” said Karanka in his pre-match press conference. “They were in the Premier League last season, and we were in the Championship. They have an amazing manager in David Moyes, and are playing at home.

“We will try to win the game but I cannot say that we are favourites,” he added.

This will be the first time that Karanka has faced Sunderland in his three-year spell at Boro , however he is under no illusions about how much the game means to the fans.

“I have heard how big this game is for everybody but for us it’s all about three important points.”

Karanka was also complementary about Boro’s opening day draw at home to Stoke, expressing that some players showed him that they were better than he thought.

“I am really pleased as it was the best example to show that we were ready for the first game [of the season].”

Team News

Sunderland have a number of injuries ahead of their first home game of the season.

Defensive midfielders Lee Cattermole and Jan Kirchhoff both missed last weekend’s opener away at Manchester City while centre back Lamine Kone has since been ruled out with a back injury.

Kone partnered Younes Kaboul in the heart of defence at the Etihad, however the latter has since moved to Premier League rivals Watford.

That means that captain John O’Shea will probably have to slot back into one of the centre back positions, after playing in a holding midfield last weekend.

New arrival Papy Djilobodji, who signed from Chelsea, could also make his debut at the back while Fabio Borini is a doubt for game with an ankle issue.

Boro are likely to stick with the same eleven which started against Stoke, with the exception of Marten De Roon who limped off during that game with a hamstring injury.

Adam Forshaw will more than likely take the Dutchman’s spot, after replacing him from the bench last time out.

Defenders Daniel Ayala and Bernardo Espinosa both featured for Boro’s under 23’s team last week. However, both have only just returned to full fitness so they may not be risked.

In their absence Antonio Barragan played admirably in the vacant centre back position and he will be expected to keep his place.

The Opposition

As they often do, Sunderland produced an incredible run at the back end of last season to ensure that they remained in the Premier League.

There will have been concerns, however, when it was announced that manager Sam Allardyce would leave the club to take the England job, just as it appeared that the Black Cats were finally finding some consistency.

Thankfully for Sunderland, the club acted quickly to appoint an established top flight manager in David Moyes. However, the 53-year-old only arrived half way through pre-season and hasn’t had as much time to work with his players.

Sunderland were unfortunate not to take a point away at Manchester City last weekend after they were undone by a late Paddy McNair own goal.

Even so the current injury situation will be a cause for concern ahead of tomorrow’s game.

One To Watch

Jermaine Defoe

Even at 33, Defoe is still one of the most prolific strikers around. He netted 15 league goals last campaign and has already opened his scoring account this season after a goal at Manchester City on the opening day.

Last Time Out

Sunderland 0 Middlesbrough 1 - 30/10/2012

Boro were victorious the last time that they visited the Stadium of Light after Scot McDonald’s first half goal decided a League Cup tie back in 2013.

The Australian international converted Ishmael Miller’s low cross five minutes before the break, as Tony Mowbray’s side progressed to the quarter-finals.

Team I Would Play

  

(Picture from Gazette Boro)

Boro didn't look out of place in the Premier League when they played Stoke last weekend so I can't see Karanka making too many changes.

Marten De Roon will miss the game through injury so Adam Forshaw should get his chance in the centre of midfield. That will probably be the only change from the side which started last weekend.

Daniel Ayala and Bernardo Espinosa are close to full fitness but probably won't be risked while Antonio Barragan can cover for them.

Middlesbrough Held By Stoke In Opening Day Draw

Middlesbrough    1        Stoke City    1

  Negredo 11                                   Shaqiri 67

Alvaro Negredo returned to the Premier League in style but it wasn’t enough to earn his new side Middlesbrough an opening day victory.

The imposing Spanish forward scored after just nine minutes on his Boro debut at the Riverside, before a spectacular free kick from Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri midway through the second half drew the visitors level.

Alvaro Negredo celebrates his first Boro goal

(Picture from Eurosport.com)

On the whole a draw was probably a fair result, with newly promoted Boro looking well organised and disciplined before the interval, while Stoke took control after the break.

The decision to award the free kick, from which the visitors equalised, may have been dubious. The ball had already gone when Adam Clayton clipped Shaqiri with little intent on the edge of the penalty area. Even so it was a sign that Stoke were building up ahead of steam, and in the closing stages they were the only team which looked like taking all three points.

Boro had competed well and looked a threat on the counter attack at times. However, after half time, they barely laid a glove on their opponents, as the likes of Shaqiri and ex-Barcelona forward Bojan were allowed time and space to come to the fore.

Aitor Karanka will have been impressed, however, by the performance of his new signings and the Boro boss handed out five debuts on the opening day.

That included the ubiquitous Gaston Ramirez, who produced a man of the match performance in front of a packed Riverside crowd.

The Uruguayan playmaker was protagonist in Boro’s attacks and also made some important clearances inside his own penalty area.    

He also linked up well with Negredo and there were plenty of signs that the pair could form a decent partnership this campaign.

It certainly started well, when a move started by Albert Adomah ended with the opening goal of the game. The Ghanaian international won the ball in the middle of the pitch, before charging down the left flank where he played a neat one-two with George Friend.

Adomah then swing a deep inswing cross towards the back post, where Ramirez produced a clever header back across goal. Negredo leapt the highest and the ball appeared to come off his shoulder before it flew past goalkeeper Shay Given, not that the 32,110 home fans cared about that.

They will have also been encouraged by the performance of another new arrival Antonio Barragan, who was signed as a right back but looked comfortable as a makeshift centre half.

There were also admirable performances from Friend, Adam Clayton and Ben Gibson, none of which looked out of place on their Premier League debuts.

The only negative of the first half for Karanka was the injury to Marten De Roon, who limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury after 17 minutes.

Even so Boro were able to keep the visitors at arm’s length thought-out the first, as Stoke lacked the urgency and intensity which many would have expected from an established Premier League side.

Boro did pose a threat on the counter attack and almost doubled their lead ten minutes before the break when Negredo held the ball effectively and set up Ramirez, whose low shot glanced off the post.

Stoke’s best chances came in the closing stages of the first half, as first Marko Arnautovic curled a free kick over the bar. Minutes later the Austrian set up Shaqiri with a neat reverse pass but the latter cannoned a shot into the side netting.

Shaqiri was involved again when his in-swinging cross from the right caused some uncertainty in the Boro penalty area and forced keeper Victor Valdes to punch the ball to safety.

The host’s best opportunity to double their lead came just before the hour mark, when Adomah broke away down the right but failed to find a team mate when he arrived in the penalty area.

Even so Boro had begun to back off and Stoke were only too happy to accept the invitation to attack.   

Shaqiri fired just over the bar minutes before his free kick, which he curled across goal and low into the bottom corner.

Stoke looked the more likely side to nick a winner but the best chance fell to Boro when Adomah’s cross picked out Stewart Downing but he headed his effort straight at Given.

A point each was probably a fair result.

Player Ratings

Victor Valdes   6- Was rarely tested on his debut. He made one punch to repel one of Shaqiri’s crosses mid-way through the first half.

Emilio Nsue   6.5- Was forced to do his fair share of defending, especially in the second half when Marko Arnautovic and Erik Pieters doubled up on him.

Antonio Barragan   7- An impressive debut a centre half. He regularly positioned himself well to keep Stoke out.

Ben Gibson   7- Barely put a foot wrong at the back. Stoke striker Mame Biram Diouf hardly got a sniff.

George Friend   7.5- Made some strong challenges and was keen to charge forward down the left flack. Didn’t look out of place on his Premier League debut

Adam Clayton  7- Was the heartbeat of Boro’s well organised defensive unit and helped keep Stoke’s creative players on the fringes in the first half.  

Marten De Roon –Limped off injured after just 17 minutes. Not enough time to give a fair rating.

Albert Adomah   6.5- Started lively but faded as the match went on. His decision making was questionable at times.

Stewart Downing   6.5- Did a lot of running on the left flank but didn’t create much going forward. Headed a late chance straight at the keeper.

Gaston Ramirez   7.5- Influential both on and off the ball. His clever header across goal set up Negredo and the tricky playmaker was also on the end of some vital clearances in his own penalty area.

Alvaro Negredo   7.5- Made the perfect start to his Boro career with a goal. He won numerous headers and made himself nuisance for Stoke’s defence.

Substitutes

Adam Forshaw   6.5- Replaced De Roon after 17 minutes. He was tidy in possession and made some decent interceptions but couldn’t stop the team retreating in the second half.

David Nugent – The striker replaced Ramirez with five minutes to go. Not enough time to give a fair rating.

My Boro Man Of The Match: Gaston Ramirez

Middlesbrough v Stoke City Preview

In his first press-conference as a Premier League manager Aitor Karanka did a pretty good job of keeping his emotions in check.

The whole of Middlesbrough is buzzing ahead of the new campaign, so much so that their season opener at home to Stoke was sold out almost immediately.

It’s been seven long years since a Boro side last kicked a ball in the top flight but at last Karanka, who arrived back in 2013, believes that the club are back where they belong.

“The club hasn’t changed a lot, when I arrived I said this was a Premier League club,” he said in Boro’s new and upgraded press room.

“The main aim is to stay in the Premier League and build the foundations that we need. Unlike last year one mistake can be really important in the Premier League, one mistake and we will have problems.”

Karanka has shown throughout his tenure at the Riverside that he can be an expressive manager, and his passion may reveal itself when he returns to the dugout tomorrow afternoon.

As demonstrated last season that can be a positive thing, and in the end it was Karanka’s motivational methods which ultimately nudged Boro over the line. Even so, there is always the possibility that too many sentiments can cause a drastic backlash, and it’s still unclear what exactly happened when Karanka missed the away trip to Charlton back in March.

That seems a distance memory now, however, and here the Boro boss spoke about the excitement around the town - even if he seemed fully focused on the job at hand.

He also referred to a successful pre-season, in which Boro have made nine new signings before a ball has even been kicked.

Their early activity in the transfer market means that Boro have enjoyed plenty of time to work with their new arrivals, many of whom should make their debuts tomorrow.

Team News

Middlesbrough will be without the centre back pairing of Daniel Ayala and Bernardo Espinosa, who have ankle and knee injuries respectively.

Captain Grant Leadbitter is also out following a hernia surgery, as is left back James Husband who dislocated his shoulder in pre-season.

Joe Allen is in line to make his debut for Stoke, though Glen Johnson is doubtful with a thigh problem while Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay have both sustained long term injuries.

The Opposition 

The unfair belief that Stoke are still just a long ball side who score most of their goals from set-plays is frankly complete rubbish.

In fact, the Potters scored just six goals from dead-ball situations last campaign which was less than any other side in the top flight.

Manager Mark Hughes deserves huge credit for the job he has done since he took the role back in the summer of 2013, not only has he changed a style of play (which many snubbed at) and found the players to fit his preferred system- he has also stabilised Stoke as potent top flight outfit.

Stoke have recently attracted the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan from some of Europe’s elite clubs, while in January midfielder Giannelli Imbula became their record signing when he arrived from Porto for £18.3 million.

Last season the Potters finished ninth with 51 points, though they did end up with a goal difference of -14 due to the fact that they lacked a regular goal scorer.

One To Watch

Xherdan Shaquiri

At 24 the Swiss playmaker has already represented the likes of Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, while he has also registered 57 caps for his country.

He is unpredictable and dangerous in the attacking third so could be a potential match winner if Boro don’t watch him closely.

Last Time Out – 21/3/2009

Stoke City 1 Middlesbrough 0

Ryan Shawcross scored an 84^th minute winner when the two relegation-threatened side met at the Britannia Stadium back in 2009.

The result moved the Potters out of the bottom three and they went on to stay up in their first season back in the Premier League.

Garth Southgate’s Boro remained 19^th and couldn’t avoid the drop that year.

Team I Would Play

(Picture from Gazette Boro)

Boro's starting eleven looked like it was taking shape in their final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad on Saturday so I don't think they'll be too many changes.

Albert Adomah came on for Viktor Fischer at half time and looked a threat so I'd go with the Ghanaian on the wing. Apart from that it should be the same team which started a weeks ago.