Friday, March 6, 2015

'Aitor Karanka will be a top manager in European football', insists Peter Beagrie


Aitor Karanka is destined for the very top of European football.


That’s the view of former Boro winger Peter Beagrie, who is now a Sky Sports pundit and commentator on the Football League.


Boro’s Spanish supremo arrived on Teesside in November 2013 and has since transformed the club from mid-table battlers to genuine promotion candidates.


Looking ahead to another busy weekend of Championship action, Beagrie praised Boro boss Karanka and believes he will go on to achieve great things in the game.


“Boro have one of the top three squads in the division with a brilliant manager, who I think will go on to be a top manager in European football,” Beagrie told Sky Sports.


“They got back on track with a win (against Millwall) in midweek and it was good for them to see the strikers getting goals, which has been a problem because they have always been one of the lowest scorers in the top of the division with the best defence.


“There’s no doubt that they are genuine automatic hopefuls.”


Peter Beagrie


Beagrie alluded to Boro being the lowest scorers of the Championship’s current top seven, having scored 53 goals in 35 league games to date.


Forest have also scored more goals than Boro (57) this campaign, but it is the defensive foundations that have helped Boro rise to the division’s summit.


Boro have kept 16 clean sheets already this season, and have conceded only 24 goals - 10 less than Sheffield Wednesday, who have the Championship’s second best defence.


The Owls’ defence was on show last weekend as Boro slipped to a 2-0 defeat, but Tuesday’s comfortable victory over Millwall has done much to lift the post-Hillsborough gloom around Teesside.



Striking trio Patrick Bamford, Kike Garcia and Jelle Vossen all found the net against the Lions, and all of a sudden Boro’s attacking arsenal is starting to fire again.


As a result, Boro will arrive at The City Ground as favourites to win the Championship - but could find themselves knocked off top spot tonight if Bournemouth claim all three points at Fulham.


Defender Daniel Ayala (thigh) will miss tomorrow’s Forest showdown, along with Damia Abella (cruciate) and Rhys Williams (Achilles).


But Mustapha Carayol is back in contention after completing another 75 minutes for the Under-21s on Monday.



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