Winters of content under Aitor Karanka give Middlesbrough renewed optimism

Not quite so, with the Middlesbrough head coach definitely one of the honourable exceptions.

Karanka might be away from the traditionally sunnier climbs of his homeland, but his Boro side have kept him relatively snug at this time of year for the past two eventful seasons. And hopefully once again, too, as they look to cement their Premier League status.

The Teesiders’ run to the end of the old calendar year provided considerable on-pitch warmth in 2014 and 2015, with Boro losing just twice in 19 Championship matches in November and December of those two years.

Keeping Boro well insulated for a third successive season and stocking up on the equivalent of solid winter fuel again would bring an even greater sense of warmth amid the dipping temperatures for Karanka.

Not that it will be easy, but Boro are clearly starting to make provisions again on their return to the big time.

Yet rewind the clock to just a month ago and a cold front had descended upon the Riverside Stadium.

A layer of frost was in the air with Boro – and more pertinently Karanka – lambasted following a desperately poor home defeat to Watford, with the hosts’ anaemic performance prompting an acerbic blast from BBC 5 Live commentator Alan Green.

He labelled Boro, with some justification, as the worst team he had seen all season and those supporters who witnessed that sorry showing were probably in no mood to argue.

With daunting away games coming up with Arsenal and Manchester City – sandwiched between a home encounter with Bournemouth – and Boro on a run of just one win in 14 matches, natives were getting decidedly restless and Karanka was under heavy pressure.

As he has done on other select occasions during his time on Teesside, Karanka – who celebrated his third anniversary in charge at the start of this week – and his coaching team closed ranks with answers successfully found ‘in house’.

For Boro’s autumnal nadir against the Hornets and subsequent improvement since, there is context from the past two seasons.

In October 2014, Boro were comprehensively beaten 2-0 at Wolves, a defeat which Karanka wholly took the blame for, admitting he had ‘picked the wrong players.’ It was the prelude to a run of one league defeat in 18.

Just over 12 months ago, Karanka’s side were outclassed and outfought in a 3-0 defeat at promotion rivals Hull City in a rare November reverse, with the Boro chief publicly berating his side for showing a lack of ambition. His side went onto win eight of their next nine league games, drawing the other.

It is pushing it to suggest Boro will achieve a run half as good as that in the present day, given the exalted company they now find themselves in.

But the signs are certainly more promising then they were following surprise but wholly deserved draws at the Emirates and Etihad, as well as a priceless home win over Bournemouth.

Tweaks have seen winger Adama Traore brought into the starting line-up with the outlet that he provides with his explosive pace adding something extra to an attacking armoury which was hitherto one-dimensional.

The partnership in the back four of Adam Chambers and Ben Gibson is also starting to evolve, while crucially, leading lights from last season in George Friend and Adam Clayton are finally showing signs of acclimatizing to the top-flight surroundings, alongside £12m recruit Marten de Roon, who debuted for the Netherlands earlier this week.

True to form, Karanka has not yielded from his rigid and defensive-minded 4-2-3-1 mantra and do not expect him to at any time in the future either.

On numerous occasions, the former Real Madrid assistant has spoken about the importance of building foundations – ‘in Spain, we build a house from the floor’ as he puts it – which alludes to his footballing mindset better than anything else.

All told, it is the formula that brought about Boro’s defensive statistics of 2014-2015 – when their concession of 37 Championship goals was the best in the division – and 2015-16, when their tally of 31 goals against was the top record in the whole country.

This season, only Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham have conceded fewer top-flight goals. In the Premier League, a pragmatic approach can have its rewards, as Sunderland and West Brom have proven in previous years.

That said, Boro’s resolution will be tested to the full on Sunday, when in-form Chelsea arrive at a sold-out Riverside, with champions Leicester City being next on the agenda on Saturday week.

Then, it is on to December as Boro look to continue fighting back the chill.

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