“As a manager, you want to have the best players as possible because when you have those players you know you can score any time.” said Karanka when asked about the squad. That will give the supporters and the players a lift as this is a team that excels when everyone is together, that will be a big boost for the up-and-coming games.
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We’re two games in and already David Moyes is giving off the impression that the task he faces as Sunderland manager is not going as well as he had initially hoped.
Two games and four points back into life in the Premier League and Boro look like they belong in the top flight.
Luke is right – these two boys are obviously not up to it quite yet, but when we are spending big money on them there is an expectancy for them to play. But there’s a long way to go yet. We have a lot of points to play for and we have to play like that every week.
Aitor Karanka’s men found themselves under the cosh in the early stages at the Stadium of Light and needed something special to set them on their way.
Sunderland, who lost to Manchester City in their opening league game, finished fourth from bottom last season, just two points clear of relegation, and Moyes urged caution, saying it would take time to bring in stability.
Of matchwinner Cristhian Stuani, he said: “He has played in derbies in Spain and he has played global football”.
The Uruguayan doubled his tally as half-time approached, making the most of superb build-up work by Adam Forshaw and Alvaro Negredo to beat Mannone for a second time, leaving Patrick van Aanholt’s 71st-minute reply for Sunderland to count for little.
Stewart Downing believes Christhian Stuani’s performance against Sunderland shows how strong the Boro squad is this season.
“We hope things off the pitch will improve”, said the Scot. We have got two players in almost every position, so you have got to be on your toes and play well. It’s been a relatively good start for us.
“Not many players in our team have played a lot of Premier League games, so it will give them confidence”.
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“The last month has gone so quickly and I thought that if I kept training with the first team I might get a chance at the end of the season, so I was very surprised to play and I’ve just tried to listen to all the advice the manager’s given me”, he added. We’ve got to change that.
