Middlesbrough’s new boys blast Villa aside
ASTON VILLA 1 M’BORO 3
ALVARO NEGREDO gave Middlesbrough fans a glimpse of how important he could be in the club’s battle to establish themselves in the Premier League.
Aitor Karanka has signed eight players this summer but his headline act is undoubtedly the former Manchester City striker, on loan from Valencia.
Negredo scored the first and made the second as Boro came from behind to ease past Aston Villa.
The big Spanish target man looks a bit too beefy with just two weeks to go before the big kick-off and needs a little streamlining.
He scored just five La Liga goals last season but if he can get back anywhere near the level he was at when he scored 23 in 48 appearances for City he’ll be an inspired signing.
“It’s been good for us to sign him,” said Karanka.
“It was a difficult season for him at Valencia last season. He wasn’t 100%.
“This league is going to be hard and he knows he needs to work. Face it, if he was 100% he’d be playing for Man United, Chelsea or Arsenal.”
These two clubs swapped places over the summer and for an hour the team relegated from the Premier League looked better than the one going into it.
But Villa have been training a week longer than Boro and once Karanka’s men matched Villa’s intensity in the second period, they were able to punish them.
“I didn’t think we played with any intensity in the first half,” confirmed Karanka.
“I told them at half-time we had to increase that.
“One thing I will not settle for is the intensity dropping.”
Another of Karanka’s new boys Dane Viktor Fischer, who cost £3.8m from Ajax, capped a promising display with the well-taken second goal, set up by Negredo.
Dutchman Marten de Roon, Karanka’s most expensive signing from Atalanta at £12m, looked a classy addition to the midfield before going off in the second half after taking a knock.
Victor Valdez, who played just two games in two seasons at Manchester United, could do nothing about Villa’s opener on 15 minutes, headed in by Nathan Baker after he’d climbed above teenage centre-back Dael Fry to reach Bacuna’s cross.
Negredo poached the equaliser on the hour after Fischer’s shot was pushed out by Pierluigi Gollini, the man who’s replaced Brad Guzan – another Boro buy – in Villa’s goal.
The pair reversed roles in the 75th minute as Boro broke three on one. Negredo rolled the ball into Fischer’s path for a simple finish.
Cue multi-substitutions from Karanka, with both scorers among the players to depart.
Negredo’s replacement, Jordan Rhodes, nodded the third at the far post seconds after coming on.