Middlesbrough v Barnsley - Neil Warnock happy to switch Boro line-up around for Carabao Cup showdown with Reds

The “prize” – a trip to Chelsea in an already congested schedule – is not getting the 71-year-old’s juices flowing but putting some of his fringe players under pressure and seeing how they perform is.

For the second game running he will have a debutant, after defensive midfielder Sam Morsy completed his strung-out transfer from Wigan Athletic.

With such a busy schedule, all clubs will need plenty of depth in the first half of the season, and a manager who likes to keep things well stocked up front has only Ashley Fletcher and Britt Assombalonga as senior centre-forwards, although he is doing his best to add two.

But having regularly bemoaned the thinness of his squad, he is about to find out how good his reserves really are.

“I love the FA Cup but I don’t like this cup,” he says. “But I’m looking forward to it. The result’s not important but there’s a few lads with something to show me.

“They’ve all been doing well in pre-season so it’s going to be great for me to have a good look at them against good opposition.

“I think they (Barnsley) will play a strong team. They’ve really good movement, the front three and the interchanging, so it’ll be great (seeing) how certain lads cope in the positions I play them.

“They might criticise me for my selection, I’m not too concerned with that, I’m just thinking solely on the club’s behalf with the hectic run we’ve got.

“We want to win it, why not? A trip to Chelsea (in round three), it’s a great stadium etc it’s just disappointing when I look at the fixtures around the cup.

“We’re going to have to play on a Wednesday night, come back up here, then go down to QPR on a Friday. And then we’ve got Bristol City and Cardiff (both away) Tuesday and Saturday the following week. It’s bloody scandalous!

“It’s a good job the fans aren’t in. I wouldn’t want our fans having all that travelling.”

Warnock confirmed Hayden Coulson and Nathan Wood will start, and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli may too because Dejan Stojanovic and Aynsley Pears are not 100 per cent.

“If anything happened to Jonny (Howson) we were snookered because I’ve got plans for other players elsewhere,” says Warnock, explaining Morsy’s signing.

“He was captain for many years, never misses a game, he’s tenacious and just what I’m looking for to supplement the squad.

“(Marc) Bola will be playing, he’s had a good pre-season, Dael (Fry) needs some minutes. If (Lewis) Wing plays to his potential you’ve got a good player. I’d like to think he can take the game by the scruff of the neck.

“I’d like to get this one out of the way and one or two of the lads coming in to give me decisions to make for Bournemouth (Saturday’s Championship game).

“I’ve no problem with any of their attitudes but I would like to see one or two of them grab the bull by the horns.”

Warnock is starting to make progress on transfers, adding Bettinelli and Morsy to Grant Hall either side of the weekend.

“I’ve got to bring in two strikers, I think,” he says. “We’ve been waiting for my number one target for a couple of weeks and I’m still crossing my fingers. I’d like a younger lad as well who can help change the game.

“It was frustrating on Friday (at Watford) because I felt a couple of new faces could have won us the game. The effort Britt (Assombalonga) and Ashley (Fletcher) put in, it would have been nice to give them a breather for 20 minutes.”

Morsy is just the latest Boro addition to cite Warnock as their main reason for joining.

“He’s got a reputation for getting teams promoted, his last promotion was recent and his history (shows) he does get teams out of this division,” he explained.

“I like to get on the ball, play and get the attacking players going. Breaking up play is probably what I’m well known for.

“I’ll just try and keep the team ticking and add leadership.”

Last six games: Middlesbrough LWWLWL; Barnsley WDWWDL.

Referee: A Backhouse (Carlisle).

Last time: Middlesbrough 1 Barnsley 0, November 27, 2019, Championship.

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.