Can Middlesbrough stay up in the Premier League this season?

Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium

Middlesbrough parted company with manager Aitor Karanka in one last attempt to stave off relegation with only two months of the season remaining.

The North-East club promoted Steve Agnew from assistant head coach and he’s reintroduced two players who were out-of-favour previously which could give Boro a real chance of getting goals and potentially results. And here’s why…..

Middlesbrough need to play to their strengths in attack

Middlesbrough have Alvaro Negredo and Rudy Gestede as options up front, two of the most dominant aerial players in the Premier League. As a result, it’s an obvious approach to make the most of their strengths by putting balls into the box at every given opportunity. However, Boro have surprisingly resisted and find themselves 12th in the charts for accurate crosses (122) in the Premier League this season which is a factor in their scoring woes – 20 goals netted in 28 league games.

Negredo is Middlesbrough’s top goalscorer this season and has won 136 aerial duels. Gestede has won 72% of his duels for the North-East outfit so why the club aren’t making the duo a focal point is beyond many. Agnew sought to change this by introducing midfielders who cross the ball in on a regular basis – Stewart Downing (30% cross success rate) and Gaston Ramirez (30% cross success rate). The aforementioned duo average a cross every 16 minutes between them.

Sacrifice a midfielder for a playmaker type

Middlesbrough’s biggest problem in possession has been their inability to unlock defences. They don’t have players confident enough to play the ball forward in the middle of the park, instead having midfielders of substance to help nullify the opposition. This problem could be solved by sacrificing one of three players in the midfield for a more creative player – Gaston Ramirez, potentially.

The South American could play as an attacking midfielder behind the striker, which would free up a spot out wide for a pacey winger such as Adama Traore, one of the only players in the squad who can beat his opposite marker. The lack of pace in the Boro side makes their attacks predictable, but having players who play a lot quicker can unsettle a defence before they get back into shape. It would make Boro more of a threat on the counter-attacks and would surely yield more goals.

Boro could line up with Adam Clayton and Adam Forshaw as holding midfielders, Gaston Ramirez in an advanced role, Stewart Downing and Adama Traore on the flanks, and either Alvaro Negredo/Rudy Gestede up front. Middlesbrough are 10/3 to stay up in the Premier League this season, but can they deliver?