Middlesbrough fell to yet another Premier League defeat this weekend – a result that sees the club drop into the relegation zone.
Lowest scorers in the Premier League, no goals in four games, top striker dropped for a man deemed surplus to requirements by Championship strugglers Aston Villa, just four league wins all season, and a loss to Stoke City that sees the team drop into the dreaded relegation zone – things could not look much worse for Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough side at present.
As for the game itself, Stoke secured the 2-0 victory courtesy of a Marco Arnautovic double – and the reality of the encounter was that Middlesbrough were second best for the majority, with Stoke’s Ramadan Sobhi, Peter Crouch and Arnautovic enjoying plenty of success throughout.
Boro have just 19 goals to show for their 27 Premier League games so far this campaign, and dropped main front man Alvaro Negredo in preference for January signing Rudy Gestede.
Another front man signed in January, Patrick Bamford, was not even selected in the match day squad.
However, the change had little effect on the scoring status quo for Karanka – whose side are now in the bottom three; trailing 17th placed Crystal Palace by three points.
To compound the issue further, the Teesiders have now failed to score in a league-high 13 matches this season and have tasted victory just once in their last 27 top flight games.
Upon reflection of their team’s current predicament, many supporters of Middlesbrough have taken to social media outlet Twitter to express their despair – with the merits of manager Karanka evidently high on the list of concerns.
The former Real Madrid defender, despite guiding Boro to promotion from the Championship last year, has faced increasing criticism for his deployment of players, tactics and performance level this season – let alone the lack of goals and poor return of results. It now appears that this defeat to Stoke, for many a Boro fan, may well be the final straw regarding faith in Karanka’s future at the club.
Here’s a taste of the reaction from Middlesbrough fans following the 2-0 defeat to Stoke City:
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
