Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick previews Stoke City game.
IT’S only a month ago that Stoke City rocked up at the Riverside and thumped Middlesbrough 5-0, but Michael Carrick says that Carabao Cup defeat will have no bearing on his thinking ahead of today’s Championship re-run.
It’s easy to see why.
Stoke have changed managers in that time, with Narcis Pelach replacing Steven Schumacher, and the make-up of both sides this afternoon will be completely different to the August line-ups, when both teams were much-changed.
“This has no relevance to the last game,” said Carrick.
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“It’s a totally different competition, they have a different manager and we moved on from that quickly. It’s about what’s in front of us now.”
Stoke’s change of manager does present Carrick with a challenge. Pelach has only been in the dugout for one game so far – the home defeat to Hull City – and having previously worked as an assistant rather than a manager, Carrick doesn’t have much to go on when preparing for the Potters.
“It’s a snapshot really,” he said.
“He was only in for a few days before that game. There’s an element of trust in what we do. As much as we look at the opposition and their strengths, a lot of it comes down to focusing on what we can do very well.
“For sure we’ll have an eye on them and work out what we think they’ll do.”
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Boro are looking to get back to winning ways after the Sunderland defeat and Preston draw, but Carrick insists there’ll be no anxieties in the Riverside dressing room.
“It’s about picking points up over a long period of time,” he said.
“There are all sorts of different types of games and challenges we face in this league, this one is the next one and therefore the most important one and we understand what we’re up against.
“It’s a new manager who’s only been in a week or so, which provides a bit of a twist on the game as well because you’re trying to see what they’re going to do, but there will be a lot of new things that he is trying to implement. We’ve got to be ready for that.
“The boys are just focused on the next game and trying to win more football matches. We’re doing a lot of good things in the way we’re playing. We’ve got to make that difference to make it count though. We feel like we’re really close, but it’s up top us to make that step and start putting more points on the board.”
