Boro are the Premier League’s most out of form side and something needs to change.
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka during the match
Things are becoming pretty desperate at Middlesbrough.
No team in the Premier League are in worse form than Boro, who are second bottom after a ten-match winless run that stretches back to December 17. No side has scored fewer goals or won fewer matches.
They are quietly slipping back to the Championship as the clubs directly above them all find form. And what do Hull City, Crystal Palace, Swansea City and Leicester City all have in common? They have all changed their manager.
It is difficult to argue that the sacking of Claudio Ranieri was not heartless, but successive league victories since – after no goals and five defeats in 2017 before his dismissal – also suggests it was the right one.
Eight clean-sheets and no genuinely embarrassing defeats this season has probably saved Aitor Karanka from a similar fate thus far.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson applauds fans after the game
Karanka took Middlesbrough out of the second tier after a seven-year wait and deserves enormous credit as a result.
But with the team seriously devoid of confidence and goals, unless the hierarchy do the heartless (but right) thing, then he will be taking them straight back.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
