New Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards has revealed how he intends to shift the tactics he inherited from former boss Michael Carrick ahead of the new season.
Boro are preparing for a new era at the Riverside Stadium following Carrick’s departure at the beginning of June. The decision was made to part company with the 44-year-old following an end of season review which had seen them miss out on a place in the play-offs for the second successive year.
Edwards was appointed later in the month in what is his first position since leaving Luton Town in January. Despite a disappointing end to his tenure at Kenilworth Road, he is best remembered for guiding the Hatters into the Premier League in 2023.
Edwards Admits He Will ‘Do Things Differently’
With the start of the new Championship season now just one week away, Edwards will shift his attention to the visit of Swansea City next Saturday. They face Deportivo in their final pre-season friendly this afternoon, where he will have one final opportunity to put his stamp on the squad.
Speaking prior to the game, the 42-year-old admitted he is going to do things ‘a little differently’ to his predecessor:
“We’re going to make some tweaks because I am a different person to Michael [Carrick]. They had a really good style. But we’re going to do things a little bit differently, and it’s important we sell those ideas to the players in the right way. I just want us to shift the game forward probably 50 yards.
“We still want to build from the back and play from the back, but we don’t want to be at the back for too long. I want it in dangerous areas with our dangerous players. We want to keep doing many of the things that they’ve done well so far in pre-season, and we’ve got some really good players here.
“But we also want to put our own stamp on it as well. I’m not surprised, but I’m just really pleased with the lads so far and their quality and level so far. There’s a good base and I think we’ve seen that in spells so far in pre-season.”
Writer’s View
Rob Edwards knows that he has to launch a real assault on a top six finish and is showing that he is not prepared to make the same mistakes as Michael Carrick. Whilst the former boss can count himself unlucky last season due to a number of injuries to key players but they are a club that feel they should be in the Premier League. Edwards achieved just that with Luton and although pre-season results haven’t been great with his new club, he will have learnt just what his squad are capable of.
