It has not been the dream start that Garry Monk must have dreamt of when he packed his suitcase at Leeds and heading north-east to Middlesbrough. He was desperate to manage in the Premier League again and felt that Boro’s ambition matched his own and so made the controversial move after just missing out on the play-offs with Leeds.
Middlesbrough’s summer spending certainly showed ambition and raised expectations surrounding the club. Championship hotshot Britt Assombalonga was brought in for £14 million from Nottingham Forest whilst Ashley Fletcher and Martin Braithwaite were also brought in to add more firepower.
The squad is bursting at the seams with talent, Darren Randolph, Jonny Howson and Cyrus Christie were all big signings for the Championship club so for a club with this talent, it is unacceptable that they find themselves in the bottom half of the table.
Away from the pressures of the Championship, their League Cup run has provided some relief for both management and fans alike. Two impressive performances at home to Scunthorpe and away to Aston Villa have yielded five goals and two clean sheets. In fact, it has been the fringe players that have been performed well in these games and Monk should put his faith in these players as they travel to Premier League side Bournemouth tonight.
This game provides a huge opportunity for Boro to reach the quarter-finals. Bournemouth have Premier League survival on their mind and will be fielding a mixed side of fringe players and youngsters, although Callum Wilson should feature as he comes back from injury.
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Garry Monk’s side are without a win in five games, with their last win coming in this competition over a month ago and the 38-year-old knows the importance of getting a win at the Vitality stadium. The quarter-finals are the stage of this competition where clubs begin to take it more seriously. The seeded format of the League Cup often means that the big clubs are left in it but as Southampton showed last year, the smaller clubs can make it to the final.
One thing is for sure, Monk and Middlesbrough are desperate for the win in any competition. The League Cup can provide a platform for a one-off no pressure performance which could raise the spirits of the whole club.
