The newly promoted side have slipped into the bottom three of the Premier League and have won just four league matches all season.
Middlesbrough’s Alvaro Negredo looks dejected
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka is trying to restore confidence to his side ahead of their FA Cup quarter final against Manchester City at the weekend.
Boro are in awful form at present and despite having the joint fourth best defensive record in the Premier League, find themselves in 18th position with 22 points from 27 games.
It’s gotten to the stage now where it seems like if Boro’s opponents take the lead, it’s game over due to the shortage of goals in the side, and the lack of confidence that has spread through their ranks.
Ahead of the City quarter-final however, with a trip to Wembley at stake, Karanka has tried to do his best to motivate his players through a mixture of togetherness and by adapting his own personal coaching methods.
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka
“I need to work on the confidence so I’ve shown the players videos of them playing really well, like the Arsenal game,” Karanka said, as reported by the Middlesbrough Gazette.
“We had a lunch yesterday with the players and all the staff. The main thing is everybody is on board. You can feel the spirit of this team and we just have to try to recover the confidence.
“As a coach I have to try to change, especially when things are not working.”
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson in action with Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin
Boro’s only wins in 2017 have come in the FA Cup, with their winless run in the Premier League stretching to 10 games now, and with a nasty fixture list for their remaining 11 games, their survival chances look bleak.
Karanka’s side will host Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City while also facing away trips to Chelsea and Liverpool, but there are also three vital away games at Bournemouth, Swansea City and Hull City to come, which could determine their fate.
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