Aitor Karanka has set out Middlesbrough’s manifesto for Premier League survival, revealing that patience and pragmatism will be very much the mantra on Teesside this season.
“We have to stay in the Premier League,” Boro’s manager said of the club promoted from the Championship in May. “If we stay in the Premier League by finishing 17th then perfect. If it’s 16th, perfect. We can’t think of being 10th or fourth – I prefer to finish 17th and to be in the Premier League for the next 50 years than finish fourth, play in the Champions League and then go down to the Championship. That has happened before in Spain. I came here to build the club as much as I can in the Premier League.”
Karanka’s team begin their campaign at home to Stoke City on Saturday and it is clear the Spaniard regards Mark Hughes’s side as something of a template. “I think our biggest aim is to keep calm knowing that it’s been really tough to get here,” he said.
“It’s impossible to think we can play Champions League or Europa League or win the league this season. If someone thinks that then they are a little bit crazy as now we have to build the foundations.”
Nine new signings, including Victor Valdés and Álvaro Negredo, have prompted optimism among some Middlesbrough fans that their team might morph into the new Leicester City but Karanka is simply happy to have intense competition for every place. Not to mention a newfound tactical flexibility.
“One thing I learnt from assisting José Mourinho at Real Madrid is to have two players in each position and for them to fight for the position,” he said. “In some positions now we have more than two; it’ll be difficult for me in the beginning to choose as all of them start in the same condition but, eventually, they’ll show me who’s better.
“With the depth we have in our squad, we can play 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 and with three central defenders. We can play with different systems, we’ve been working in pre-season with different systems and I’ll try to pick the right one every game or maybe during the game I will change the shape. That’s no problem. The players know how demanding I am – and I know how good they are.
“We need to show everyone that we’re a really good team when we play in our style, with our organisation, intensity and spirit. If we do that, we will win games. I want to show everyone we’re a tough team to beat.”
