Is Aitor Karanka ready to manage Middlesbrough in the Premier League?

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Despite a blip in form in the Championship, Middlesbrough look to have their promotion hopes back on track, but is Aitor Karanka ready to be a Premier League manager?

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Before he replaced Tony Mowbray at the Riverside, Karanka worked as the assistant manager at Real Madrid under one of the modern games greatest managers; Jose Mourinho, and in their three years together, Madrid won the Copa Del Rey, La Liga and Supercopa de Espana. As Mourinho departed, so did Karanka, but instead of following his mentor, he decided it was time to go make it on his own, and signed on as Middlesbrough manager on 13th November 2013, finishing 12^th at the end of the season.

It was a fairly uninspiring campaign for the club, but during his first term at the helm, it looked as though had found the man to take back to the Premier League for the first time since relegation under Gareth Southgate in 2009. They finished in the Championship Play-Offs, brushing Brentford aside in the semi-final (5-1 on aggregate), and it seemed promotion was almost a certainty for the fans. However, the season ended in a massive anti-climax, as Norwich scored two first half goals at Wembley that effectively ended all hope for Boro, with hardly any of the game being played.

Karanka had done almost an unthinkable job, turning Boro into a strong force to be reckoned with in the Championship, but throughout his time, he has sometimes allowed his ego and personality to leave the team short of the level of composure and security that is required.

The first real example of this was when Boro travelled to Fulham in search of all three points to keep the dream of automatic promotion alive. It should have finished as a draw, but with the score-line at 3-3 and the game in added time, Karanaka sent goalkeeper Konstantopoulos up for a corner, only for Fulham to go up the other end and secure a dramatic, late victory. Questions were asked of Karanka after the game, with some fans fuming that he took a monumental risk and threw away the game. Others however, agreed that risks needed to be taken at that time of the season, and that Karanka was in fact mirroring his old boss Mourinho, making the big decisions that others would be too cowardly to make.

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The 2015/16 campaign; as ever, has proven to be a breath-taking race to promotion and Middlesbrough are taking it to the very end. Once again however, the North East outfit at times seem to be doing everything they can, NOT to get promoted.

This calendar year, many football fans have continued to back Middlesbrough, who arguably on paper, are the strongest team in the division after a very strong first half of the season, in which they threatened at times to walk away with the league. But throughout 2016, the team have found themselves in a dreadful run of form for a team in their position.

On 16^th January, Boro suffered a shock defeat away to struggling Bristol City, which started a run of five games without a win and only two goals scored. In March, the club won only a solitary game (at home to Wolves) from five, this time scoring just three times in the process. This run in particular looked to throw Middlesbrough’s season into turmoil, as it was reported Karanka was considering his future at the club after a row at the training ground two days before their tie at Charlton, in which assistant Steve Agnew took charge of a damaging 2-0 defeat.

The club statement refused to reveal just what had happened, but the bizarre situation certainly reflected the form that the club were showing. It highlighted the pressures of managing a big club, where the expectation is just so high. All teams go through bad spells in a season, but managers usually keep their heads together and battle through. Karanka’s walk-out suggested he isn’t ready to go it alone in the top flight and under the most extreme of pressures right now, and that he needs to learn to put the team before his own ego, a flaw you wouldn’t be surprised he picked up from Mourinho.

However, a lot can be said about a manager who bounces back in style, and Karanka, has certainly done that. Middlesbrough are unbeaten in seven going into the last couple of games of the season, and sit second at the time of writing. Big name players at the club are starting to prove their worth, most notably January signing Jordan Rhodes, and they are once again managing to find the net consistently. The fans have stuck with Karanka, and for that he has to be grateful. There is very little room for sulking in football, and he seems to have dodged a bullet – everything is coming together for them. If they secure promotion though, these bust-ups and lack of faith in the squad must be quickly put aside, otherwise Karanaka will find himself out of a job very quickly.

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The last two games are going to be the biggest in the club’s recent history, and they cannot bottle it. Burnley have looked strong all year and are in pole position to finish as champions (despite the three all being on 87 points). That leaves Boro and Brighton fighting for the next automatic spot. They play each-other on the final day at the Riverside. Home advantage means Middlesbrough will be favourites, and many people won’t look past them doing it, but make no mistake, this is Karanka’s biggest test yet.

What do you think of Aitor Karanka’s credentials? Is he ready to make the step up or not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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