Aitor Karanka has been named the Manager of the Month for the Sky Bet Championship throughout the duration of September. The second year manager from Spain has won this award previously during the 2014/2015 campaign, when his Middlesbrough side made the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final. Boro would eventually be defeated against future Premiership side, Norwich City by a score of 2-0.
Although Karanka’s club has yet to make the leap into the English top division, Middlesbrough seem primed to take one of the top two spots that guarantee promotion
in 2016. In the month of September, Middlesbrough outscored their opponents 10-2, earning a perfect 5-0-0 record. They have also averaged just over 1.5 goals per match since Karanka has taken over in 2013 and have conceded less than one per match.
In the second month of the young season, Middlesbrough faced a favorable fixture list with four out of the five matches played at the home ground of Riverside Stadium. However, they had one of the most intriguing set of opponents including MK Dons, Brentford, Nottingham Forest (Away), Wolves, and Leeds. Although four of the five were on home soil, their opponents were hardly easy to take down.
One thing is for certain, Karanka has his men in top form and that begins with his lead striker Christian Stuani. The Uruguayan has recorded seven goals in ten matches and has his Boro side just 2 points behind league leaders, Brighton at the start of October.
The signing of Aitor Karanka has brought Middlesbrough back to relevance after a decade of being a mid-table club in the English Championship. In order for this to be their year to achieve promotion, Karanka needs to keep his men motivated throughout the winter months. If anyone knows the smallest details of English Championship football, it is to expect the unexpected.