ADAMA’S SKILLS GIVE KARANKA REAL HOPE
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 TOTTENHAM 2: BORO HOPE FOR MORE FROM SPANISH STARLET TRAORE
Middlesbrough hope that Adama Traore can inspire a turnaround in form – after a third successive Premier League defeat.
Spurs won 2-1 at the Riverside on Saturday, with South Korean Son Heungmin bagging both goals for the visitors.
Boro improved on the restart, with Traore providing plenty of attacking impetus after being introduced on the hour mark.
But they only managed one reply, with defender Ben Gibson’s 65th-minute header reducing the deficit.
Key in the mini revival was Adama Traore, who lent his side plenty of attacking impetus after being introduced on hour.
Despite enduring a torrid introduction to the Premier League with Aston Villa last season, Karanka believes that 20-year-old Spaniard Traore is beginning to show glimpses of his true potential.
“I know everybody will talk about Adama this week but we have to stay calm with him. His potential is huge but I have to teach him because is a young player and has to learn.
“I think he can have an impact playing for 90 minutes but for now he is coming from the bench because last season was very difficult for him.
“He was 19 years old and he was in a different country speaking a different language. But he’s been training well and had an impact so for him it is a good step forward.”
Son’s increased goalscoring threat was particularly timely for Mauricio Pochettino given the continued absence of Harry Kane, whose ankle injury will be assessed this week.
He fired a cool seventhminute finish past Victor Valdes after picking up Vincent Janssen’s neat lay-off and dribbling across the face of the box.
And he doubled Spurs’ lead in the 23rd minute when he seized on hesitation in the Boro defence to turn and deliver a superb right-footed finish past the keeper.
Spurs hung on comfortably despite Gibson’s header.
Stewart Downing, who had been largely ineffectual, whipped in a free-kick from the left and Gibson beat Wanyama in the box to direct a strong header beyond the reach of Hugo Lloris.
Lloris kept out a Jordan Rhodes header with Boro’s best effort after that.
Karanka added; “We knew that we couldn’t make the same mistakes we did last weekend against Everton.
“The first half was frustrating because this week we’ve been working really hard on the training ground.
“The second half was completely different and it’s a good example of the team wewanttobe.
“We have one week to decide if we want to be the team from the first half, or the team from the second.
“We are a team with spirit, that has been fighting for the last two-and-a-half years.
“If we play like the second half team we will win games.”
Boro are next in action at troubled West Ham on Saturday.