New-look attack can please fans
AITOR Karanka berated the Boro fans last season for chanting “Attack, Attack, Attack”. How times have changed so quickly at the Riverside.
New boss Garry Monk’s massive summer spending spree will ensure that the wishes of the goal-starved supporters on Teesside are finally answered.
It’s a fair bet Boro will change tack completely under Monk. Out will go the safety-first solid defensive approach and in will come enterprise.
In fact, bearing in mind the available personnel, Boro should become one of the most attack-minded teams in the Championship.
Remarkably, Monk reckons he is not yet finished in the transfer market.
He can already call on the likes of Britt Assombalonga, Martin Braithwaite, Patrick Bamford, Rudy Gestede, Ashley Fletcher and Adama Traore to give him the kind of attacking options which most clubs in the league can only dream about.
The first four in particular should be capable of scoring plenty of goals at this level.
Assombalonga is the bookies’ favourite to finish as the league’s top scorer. If he can carry on where he left off at Nottingham Forest he will be the striker Boro fans have been crying out for.
And there’s every reason to assume that Assombalonga will forge a highly profitable partnership with Braithwaite, who is set to operate just behind Boro’s record signing.
Braithwaite looks a top acquisition. In fact it’s difficult to believe he has not previously been snapped up by a Premier League club.
The Dane is a footballer in every sense of the word. He is always busy, looking for the ball, and links up well with the players around him.
The opportunity to use Bamford as an orthodox striker or as a right-sided attacker is a huge bonus, particularly for Bamford.
The 23-year-old might have wondered about his future when Karanka was sacked but Monk has already identified his ability to get into scoring positions.
We should not forget Bamford topscored with 19 goals in his first spell with Boro three seasons ago. There appears to be little reason why he can’t make Stars like Martin Braithwaite can give Monk attacking options other clubs dream of another telling contribution, especially with the ongoing support of the manager.
The signing of Jonny Howson may also prove crucial in this respect, because the former Norwich man can be the midfield provider of goals which the squad has been lacking.
Of course, it’s easy to get carried away by Boro’s summer outlay. Money does not guarantee success, as we have seen on Teesside in the past.
Monk will be well aware of this fact but he’s got strong beliefs in his own ability and in the men around him.
It’s been a breath of fresh air for the new manager that he has been able to do everything his own way. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, but Monk appears to have just about everything in place to launch a promotion push.
This is an unforgiving league. Every single game will be tough. Bot Boro have the machinery in place to outshoot their rivals.