team news is in!
Two changes with Brittain and McGree in for Fry and Castledine. Castledine out altogether. Sarmiento and Strelec on the bench
Since Browne also starts with Brittain then perhaps Hackney playing further forward - Strelec also on the bench I see.
@werdermouth. Slightly concerned that Castledine has not made the squad. I hope the injury curse has not struck again.
Fingers crossed that Riley McGree continues his good record against the canaries 😎
KIM HELLBERG has warned it will take Jeremy Sarmiento time to hit peak match fitness – but the Middlesbrough boss fully expects the winger to make a big impact on Teesside.
Sarmiento completed his move from Brighton earlier this week and is available to make his Boro debut in this afternoon’s home game with Norwich City.
The 23-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at Cremonese, but did not make a single senior start for the Serie A side and spent part of this month training alone before moving to Middlesbrough.
Hellberg accepts it will take time for the Ecuadorian to return to peak form, but he has already seen enough from him on the training pitches at Rockliffe Park to be convinced he will be a valuable addition to the squad.
“He [Sarmiento] brings a lot of things,” said the Boro boss. “I think he's a very good footballer. I love how he moves, how he presses, how he acts, how he has his technique.
“He hasn’t played in a while, so I think it's important to understand that it will take a little while for him to get his game fitness back. He's fit, but he was training by himself a bit in the last couple of weeks and it doesn't matter how much running you do like that, you cannot train up your game fitness for football.
“That's two different things. So, it will take him a little bit of time to get to his best. But I like everything with him - how he acts when we talk football-wise, he is tactically brilliant, he’s very intense in his pressing, his movement, his quality on the ball when he gets the chance to finish and also with his link-up play.
“I think he’s a player that suits the way we want to play very well, and he’s a very good person too. I'm looking forward to working with him. I've seen this week that he's a very talented boy, so it’s going to be good to have him here.”
READ MORE:
Key Boro player back in squad for Norwich game as Kim Hellberg makes bold prediction
What Kim Hellberg has told Boro hierarchy about transfers amid German striker talks
Sarmiento was on loan at Cremonese from Brighton, having joined the Seagulls’ academy set-up after spending time as a youth player with Charlton Athletic and Benfica.
His time at the Amex Stadium saw him play under Roberto de Zerbi, one of Hellberg’s coaching heroes and a figure who adopts a similar stylistic approach to the current Boro boss.
“I think you can see that he's [Sarmiento] been playing within the type of structure he has,” said Hellberg. “Being brave on the ball, trying to react to it, trying to press high all the time. You can see those things quite early, so it absolutely helps.
“I think it helps in terms of playing a similar style of football, being good on the ball, always trying to take control of the ball. And then I think he's unbelievable when he loses the ball, his first second, two seconds are so quick and that’s something that is very important for us in the way we play.
“I think everyone can see we like playing with a high backline, trying to win the ball back quickly, playing close to the goal with a lot of players. That means our reactions and our rest defence is key to taking the ball back and recovery.
“If you see the first goal against Preston, we lose the ball twice trying to penetrate, but then because of our quick reactions, we win the ball back and then our third pass from Tiggs [Matt Targett] is the goal. So, that is a key thing for us and he's brilliant in that part.”
Sarmiento’s arrival hastened the departure of Delano Burgzorg, who joined Bristol City on a season-long loan.
“Of course, that [Sarmiento signing] was a factor, and also the fact that there are a lot of people coming back from injury,” said Hellberg. “Jeremy arriving, Leo (Castledine) arriving – there is a lot of competition in those places now.
“Delano has done brilliantly when he’s played here, especially when we had some players out with injury, he did what we needed him to do and he did it brilliantly. But in the end, it always comes down to people making decisions together about what they think the best way to go is. That was the question were we asking about him. I wish him all the best with the loan, he’s a very good player.”
Abdoulaye Kante also left Boro this week, joining St Etienne on an initial loan deal that could become a permanent transfer in the summer.
“I think he [Kante] wanted game-time and he needed game-time, and that's why he went on loan, to try to get that,” said Hellberg. “I think that he needs that. It was an easy decision to try to find a way to get him those minutes because again, there were a lot of players in front of him here.
“And he's coming back from injury, so I think it was a good decision for us to try to invest him in going play somewhere. Then when he comes back - if he comes back, but he probably will – it will be a better Abdoulaye Kante from playing games.”
Be interesting to see what the formation will be - maybe a 4 1 2 2 1 or perhaps 4 2 3 1?
@werdermouth. Slightly concerned that Castledine has not made the squad. I hope the injury curse has not struck again.
Fingers crossed that Riley McGree continues his good record against the canaries 😎
According to CJ:
Great to see McGree back in the starting XI. He replaces Leo Castledine, who misses out altogether. Told he picked up an injury in training, but it isn't expected to be a serious one.
@stircrazy. Yet another training injury! 🤔😎
The question is where will Browne play.
Perhaps the penny has finally dropped on his history and potential for us as a more attacking midfielder. I hope so, and would love to see him exploiting the spaces and popping up in scoring positions as an auxiliary no 10.
You naturally train with HIGHER tempo than in a match. So then the matches feel more easy.@stircrazy. Yet another training injury! 🤔😎
Once I was sitting in a rally car. The driver was a driver from World Champioship series. He was driving us around on his privite stage - his father is a farmer and they built a practising course or stage in there.
My sectretary asked when she was on board that how close to a really rally he was driving. The answer was a lough in a mid corner and words: "15 % higher speed." He knew the course so well that he could drive through it with even eyes closed. So he could drive with higher speed than in a WRC rally stage and a customer on borad. Think if he was practising!
Me and my football team used to train with younger guys. We were over 45 year olds, and some of the chaps training with us were in their late 20' or early 30's. So the tempo was much higher than in our matches. Meaning we had more time in our official matches where there is a limit for minimum age.
Up the Boro!
I see that Southampton beat Stoke 2-0 in one of the early kick-offs, with Azaz scoring the first...
Good to see both Brittain and McGree back in what is possibly the strongest side we have put out this season.
I'm confident. I hope this will be a game that we have done and dusted by half- time
The question is where will Browne play.
Perhaps the penny has finally dropped on his history and potential for us as a more attacking midfielder. I hope so, and would love to see him exploiting the spaces and popping up in scoring positions as an auxiliary no 10.
CJ:
Looks another fluid system with a free role for Alan Browne, but he's definitely peeling to the right and high on the last line when Boro win possession, like a right-sided forward.
Boro a goal to the good after 17 minutes courtesy of HH, assisted by McGree.
Coventry, Ipswich & Hull matches all goalless at half-time, while Millwall & SheffU are drawing 1-1, so as things stand, Boro only a point behind the Sky Blues.
Been a good intense competitive high-quality first 45 with a peach of a strike from Hackney giving Boro the advantage - though Boro seemed to take their foot slightly off the pedal after scoring as Norwich tried to get an equaliser. Several opportunities to get a second but not quite getting it right in the box - plus a few careless passes by Boro when playing out have added some unwanted pressure. Still I think Boro probably just have the measure of Norwich and would like to see them playing a few balls through to Conway as they look vulnerable to a quick break.
A brilliant start, our forwards and midfield swarming round the Norwich defenders, and a great Hackney strike setting us up for the possibility of my optimistic half-time forecast coming true.
We failed to learn the lesson of the game as we played the ball around our own box often sloppily and giving Norwich a foothold in the game.
Whittaker, very poor and giving the ball away too easily, ending the half by squandering a great chance. Had he trusted his right foot it would have been a straightforward goal. The time it took for him to get the ball onto his left foot gave the covering defender the opportunity to block the shot. If Fulham are prepared to fork out circa £20m for him we should snatch their hands off.
I don't like Morris standing next to Brynn and wanting the ball so deep. It's getting us into all kinds of trouble.
We will win comfortably if we play longer passes out much more quickly. If we make even more mistakes we will rue it.
CJ in the 56th minute:
Fury from Boro fans
They want a red card for the keeper. Great ball from Ayling over the top. Conway running off the last defender, beats Kovacevic to the ball and is then hacked down just outside the box. There was a covering defender. Referee gives the yellow. Boro want red.
Gilbert on for McGree in the 62nd minute.
Coventry now a goal up at QPR ( 🙁 ), but Hull & Ipswich still drawing.
Gilbert on for McGree in the 62nd minute.
Fry & Strelec on for Brittain & Whittaker in the 70th minute. CJ:
Suspect Boro will go to a back three, with Browne receiving instructions, presumably to go wing-back.
Coventry pegged back by QPR in the 66th minute. 🙂
Coventry pegged back by QPR in the 66th minute. 🙂
QPR now winning (second goal scored in the 73rd minute)!
Going to be a nervous last 5 plus added time now. Hoping QPR can hang on although Hull winning now. As it stands we will be 5 points ahead of Hull who have a game in hand!
COME ON BORO!!
Wish the BBC would update a bit quicker!
1-0's a bit of a disappointing result, but it's still a win. 🙂
And breathe! Don’t know how nervy it was at the end for those watching but it was for me having watched Boro concede late on far too many times.
Dare we start to dream yet?
Toughest home game of the season so far but a deserved win after a battling performance. 😎
Great win and also a hard-fought one but a deserved win that could be pivotal to make it 5 wins in a row - Hackney was immense as the driving force and a superb goal to win the three points but Malanda was also a class act who also proved to be excellent in bringing the ball out - plus Ayling used all his nounce to see the game out!
I will take whatever right now although still a long way to go and us long standing supporters have seen it all go horribly wrong before……..
Looks like Edwards going and getting KH has been a good thing!
Phew !!! A great 3 points.