Aitor Karanka insists it would be a “mistake” for his players to think they have achieved their goals despite Boro going top.
Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory at Blackpool moved the club up from third to first in the Championship.
And while it wasn’t the most convincing display of the season so far, the result means Boro have won six games on the spin and eight of the their last 10 fixtures in all competitions.
Karanka’s mantra from the day he arrived in the North-east has been to focus on the next match and ignore all other distractions.
With only a third of the season remaining, fans can be forgiven for dreaming about life in the Premier League again, but the Boro boss only has eyes for Arsenal and Sunday’s fifth round FA Cup quest.
Asked if his team could stay in top spot for the remainder of the campaign, he said: “We are working to but this league is very difficult.
“It is hard to be in this position, there are other teams fighting like us, but we have a very good squad and a very good atmosphere in the team.
“We have to think about the next game. If we start thinking everything is done now we are making a very big mistake.”
In the aftermath of Tuesday’s game, Karanka preferred to praise his players, putting the nervy victory down to the strength of the squad.
To cope with Blackpool and the notorious Bloomfield Road pitch, the Boro head coach switched to a 3-5-2 formation and made seven changes from the team that started against Charlton on Saturday.
It was a move that paid off.
“It was a massive win because we say in Spain on pitches like Blackpool’s you can achieve your biggest successes,” said Karanka.
“It was an important win, especially when we have used six or seven different players and that means the squad that I have is brilliant.”
No comments:
Post a Comment