Boro fans want more aggression at home, says Boateng
By Claire Bloomfield
LONDON (Reuters) - Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka should take more risks and set up his team to be more attacking at home in order to keep the fans happy, according to former captain George Boateng.
The Spanish manager has been accused by fans and pundits of tactical inflexibility for choosing to prioritise defensive solidity and rarely adopting a less cautious approach.
"I've always been very impressed with the way Aitor Karanka sets his team up away from home, it's fantastic," Boateng told Reuters.
"But the set-up at home is completely different and I think the fans want to see Karanka set the team up to have more of a go when they play at the Riverside.
"When I was playing for Middlesbrough, we would take more risks in our home games. I played a holding midfield role and then we would have someone like (Bolo) Zenden going forward, or Fabio Rochemback, with offensive flair."
Boateng, who made the move to the Riverside from Aston Villa in 2002 and spent six years on Teesside, says the club need to buy a creative midfielder to ensure they stay in the Premier League.
"I think the only thing that's missing is a playmaker that would give the side more creativity going forward," said the former Netherlands international.
"Karanka tends to play with three solid defensive midfielders and that's partly why we've seen Boro pick valuable points up away to Arsenal and Manchester City in recent weeks.
"If you look at Boro's goal difference in comparison to the teams in and around the relegation zone, Boro's is very good so we can't criticise Karanka too much for not playing an overly offensive game at home."
Middlesbrough host West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Karanka's side are looking for their first league win of 2017 while the London club are keen to build on their convincing 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace, although they will be without want-away playmaker Dimitri Payet.
"I fear a little bit for this game, Boro are up against dangerous opposition. West Ham are feeling much better for having got a comfortable victory without Payet last weekend," said the 41-year-old Boateng who made almost 200 league appearances for Middlesbrough.
"But Palace are not a well-organised side like Middlesbrough. They don't have the same fighting spirit either. Boro are solid and they'll have the fans behind them so I think Boro will have the edge over West Ham and will get the victory."
Middlesbrough are four points clear of the relegation zone and Boateng, who helped the club win the League Cup in 2004, believes avoiding the drop would make it a successful return to the top flight, having spent seven years in the Championship.
"The objective for Middlesbrough is to stay up -- and as a club it doesn't matter how you stay up. You can build on it in the following season," said Boateng.
"I think if Boro can finish anywhere from 11th to 16th in the table, then they've had a very good season. For Boro it's about building up their Premier League status again for the next 10-15 years."
(Editing by Toby Davis)