Predictions and team for Middlesbrough

If Glasner had taken such a cavalier attitude to domestic cup competitions the club would never have won the FA Cup.

We're 4 games into the season with a squad that some are claiming is the deepest and strongest in our history, and already we're talking about sacrificing games and competitions?

Perhaps it's my age, but I really struggle with some of the prevailing attitudes in modern football, the picking and choosing of the games you try to win, the writing off of games and competitions.

The only time I can recall Glasner playing a noticeably weaker team in a competition ended in the worst and most embarrassing defeat in our history ; FA Cup holders knocked out by non league Macclesfield.
 
PatrickA said:
If Glasner had taken such a cavalier attitude to domestic cup competitions the club would never have won the FA Cup.

We're 4 games into the season with a squad that some are claiming is the deepest and strongest in our history, and already we're talking about sacrificing games and competitions?

Perhaps it's my age, but I really struggle with some of the prevailing attitudes in modern football, the picking and choosing of the games you try to win, the writing off of games and competitions.

The only time I can recall Glasner playing a noticeably weaker team in a competition ended in the worst and most embarrassing defeat in our history ; FA Cup holders knocked out by non league Macclesfield.
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But the fact that we did win that gives us opportunities and also other problems to solve.

Objectively speaking...we are in the Europa league. We have never been in it before, and we dont know when/if we'll next be in it. I'd be 100% behind doing everything to we can do to focus on in.

Even if that means sacrificing the league cup. Lest be honest that will be around every year.

(Priority every season will always be Prem survival, this season P2 is Europa (other seasons will be pushing for European qualification, P3 is FA cup and P4 is league cup)

Luckily we have a deep squad this year, so even playing a weekend team is still going to be pretty strong. Packed with full internationals.
 
I would expect quite a few changes- the priority has to be Ipswich at home this Saturday. If we win, it is nice, but I don't think we will be overly worried if we don't. Palace perhaps to edge it 2-1.
 
MrRobbo said:
But the fact that we did win that gives us opportunities and also other problems to solve.

Objectively speaking...we are in the Europa league. We have never been in it before, and we dont know when/if we'll next be in it. I'd be 100% behind doing everything to we can do to focus on in.

Even if that means sacrificing the league cup. Lest be honest that will be around every year.

(Priority every season will always be Prem survival, this season P2 is Europa (other seasons will be pushing for European qualification, P3 is FA cup and P4 is league cup)

Luckily we have a deep squad this year, so even playing a weekend team is still going to be pretty strong. Packed with full internationals.
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We have a better chance of winning the League Cup than the Europa would be my take.

In fact there is an argument that's it's our best opportunity of winning silverware this season which in itself would put us back into Europe if that's seen as the only show in town.

Personally I would choose a domestic match over a European game in any event, but I know some people won't share that view.

I find it all slightly confusing.

When Roy was here the fans were frustrated when he wouldn't take the domestic cups seriously.
The new wisdom seems to be that he was right all along.

We've had a bit of success, is that why the attitude has changed?
Essentially we're the same club, hoping for a mid table finish and selling our best players to the so called elite clubs who would never allow us to threaten their position.
 
It’s the rules that creates this situation. But if we can keep biffing the big boys hard in the nose and winning the odd trophy, and build our stadium ideally to 50,000. Then we can start talking.
 
PalazioVecchio said:
play the dinner-ladies and throw the game. EFL a loadabollicks

Focus on Europe and the Prem. Its our biggest European Opportunity/Challenge in 165 years.
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My take on it too. Maybe play Disasi again to get him bedded in but otherwise rotate the entire team which started against Fulham. This game's significance is more about bedding in new players than the trophy itself. We could do without a run in this cup, as you say bigger fish elsewhere.
 
PatrickA said:
We have a better chance of winning the League Cup than the Europa would be my take.

In fact there is an argument that's it's our best opportunity of winning silverware this season which in itself would put us back into Europe if that's seen as the only show in town.

Personally I would choose a domestic match over a European game in any event, but I know some people won't share that view.

I find it all slightly confusing.

When Roy was here the fans were frustrated when he wouldn't take the domestic cups seriously.
The new wisdom seems to be that he was right all along.

We've had a bit of success, is that why the attitude has changed?
Essentially we're the same club, hoping for a mid table finish and selling our best players to the so called elite clubs who would never allow us to threaten their position.
Click to expand...
Not by winning this.

Winning the Europa opens the door to the ECL - something no sane Palace fan ever dreamed we would be part of.

That said, Villa have taken that route and have hardly set the season on fire so far.

Or been the pull for marquee players you might have expected.
 
Unlike last season, we now have senior backup in every position, so Sage should only have to turn to the U21s if he sees real talent there. My guess is he will make quite a few changes. Khalaili said he was knackered after Fulham, while Disasi did not have much of a preseason. The WC players could probably also do with a rest ahead of two big games. If we put out a team something like this, we should be more than capable of giving Boro a good game...

Benitez

Mingueza Ahanor Tomiyashu Canvot Chilwell

Lerma Hughes

Osario JSL McNeil
​
One question mark might be whether to start Guessand up top and rest JSL, given Nketiah went off injured and JP is out for a month. However, I'd probably start him, as he needs to build some confidence back after a dry spell.
 
PatrickA said:
We have a better chance of winning the League Cup than the Europa would be my take.

In fact there is an argument that's it's our best opportunity of winning silverware this season which in itself would put us back into Europe if that's seen as the only show in town.

Personally I would choose a domestic match over a European game in any event, but I know some people won't share that view.

I find it all slightly confusing.

When Roy was here the fans were frustrated when he wouldn't take the domestic cups seriously.
The new wisdom seems to be that he was right all along.

We've had a bit of success, is that why the attitude has changed?
Essentially we're the same club, hoping for a mid table finish and selling our best players to the so called elite clubs who would never allow us to threaten their position.
Click to expand...
I’m not sure that is true. To win the Legaue Cup we will probably have to play and beat at least two teams who are better than any of the teams in the Europa League. You have to go back to Swansea in 2013 to find the last winners who weren’t a “big” team
 
Need to give the new lads some minutes.

Be interesting to see how seriously Boro take it with the demand of a promotion push in the Championship, playing twice per week. But they fielded a pretty strong side in the last round vs Doncaster, so could be tough.
 
JHB said:
I’m not sure that is true. To win the Legaue Cup we will probably have to play and beat at least two teams who are better than any of the teams in the Europa League. You have to go back to Swansea in 2013 to find the last winners who weren’t a “big” team
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It is true if you believe that we have no chance at all of winning the Europa whereas there might be a slight chance of winning the League Cup!
( yes, I know Villa won it last year).

The central point I'm trying to make is that some on here seem to want the club to ape the behaviour they so resented from the so called elite clubs in the past who would 'rest' four or five of their key players against us on a weekend if they had a midweek Champions League claim.
It was seen as 'disrespectful' to us and arrogant.

Do we now see ourselves as an elite club who can play the 'dinner ladies ' against Boro, and what does it matter if we go out as we have bigger fish to fry?

Not for me, but I understand that some will have no problem with it.
 
I don't think Sage gives up on anything. He won the French Cup didn't he? We don't even know our first team - except for where we have few or no options. Place where we are short is midfield. We'll have to play at least one of Wharton or Kamada or Timber when you consider it. We could start with Lerma and Hughes but they won't both last the match. I'm not sure Lerma will be willing to play. Guessand either, Guessand may be this year's Holding.
 
PatrickA said:
We have a better chance of winning the League Cup than the Europa would be my take.

In fact there is an argument that's it's our best opportunity of winning silverware this season which in itself would put us back into Europe if that's seen as the only show in town.

Personally I would choose a domestic match over a European game in any event, but I know some people won't share that view.

I find it all slightly confusing.

When Roy was here the fans were frustrated when he wouldn't take the domestic cups seriously.
The new wisdom seems to be that he was right all along.

We've had a bit of success, is that why the attitude has changed?
Essentially we're the same club, hoping for a mid table finish and selling our best players to the so called elite clubs who would never allow us to threaten their position.
Click to expand...

Not sure about that. But we'll have to ply a bunch of prem teams and probably 2 top 6 teams.

For me its about not knowing when we'll get another European chance. We can run at the league cup every year. Why wouldnt you prioritise something that is (so far) unique to this season?

Beat borough we might get a prem club away.... qualify from the Europa group we might get a 2 legger against Benfica, Celtic, Milan. Surely that holds more draw?
 
taylors lovechild said:
Unlike last season, we now have senior backup in every position, so Sage should only have to turn to the U21s if he sees real talent there. My guess is he will make quite a few changes. Khalaili said he was knackered after Fulham, while Disasi did not have much of a preseason. The WC players could probably also do with a rest ahead of two big games. If we put out a team something like this, we should be more than capable of giving Boro a good game...

Benitez

Mingueza Ahanor Tomiyashu Canvot Chilwell

Lerma Hughes

Osario JSL McNeil
​
One question mark might be whether to start Guessand up top and rest JSL, given Nketiah went off injured and JP is out for a month. However, I'd probably start him, as he needs to build some confidence back after a dry spell.
Click to expand...

Yes that's pretty much how I see it. Canvot and Ahanor just on different sides and maybe Timber given some more minutes.
 
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