MIDDLESBROUGH v CHARLTON ATHLETIC TACTICS TALK 23-12-06
Stuart Ward



The biggest match of the season rolls into the Riverside today, as relegation haunted Charlton visit relegation haunted Middlesbrough.

Key Players

Darren Bent - The England striker is by far and away the best player at Charlton.

He has become a goal scoring machine since moving to Charlton. Due to their current plight, he is now a wanted man by all accounts, with Liverpool and Arsenal said to be particularly keen.

He has pace to burn and he is also a lethal finisher. He reminds me of Thierry Henry a bit. If we let him get in behind the defence he will score more often than not. Definitely one to watch.

Hermann Hreidarsson - The big burly defender has been missing recently for Charlton, but is set to be in the starting lineup for the match today.

He can operate at left back or centre half and is a tough, physical opponent who likes to get stuck in.

He is dangerous in the air from set pieces, and has a decent left foot, so Boro will have to be careful of him going forward.

He DOES however lack a bit for pace, so if possible Boro need to stick Morrison or Yakubu on him, depending where he plays.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - I couldn't let this part of the article go without mentioning the big man.

Jimmy has a habit of scoring against his old clubs, and if he plays today then he could cause us all manner of problems.

He is a great finisher with an explosive shot, we all know this. He is also a whinging sod who will get under the skin of our centre halves.

He doesn't however have much pace anymore, and he has struggled in the Charlton team at times this season. He will need to produce an old school Hasselbaink performance if he is to trouble Woodgate today.

The Manager

Les Reed - Who? Reed has come from nowhere to be a premiership manager after the sacking of Ian Dowie, and looks like he will be returning to obscurity some time soon if the bookies are to be believed.

He is favourite to be the next manager sacked. He has done precisely nothing so far this season, and I fully expect Boro to put another nail in his coffin today.

Likely Lineup

                                      Myhre

   Sankofa     El Karkouri     Traore     Hreidarsson

    Sams    Faye    Hughes    Kishishev    Thomas

                                       Bent

There are likely to be lots of changes to the Charlton team, after their midweek humiliation at the hands of bottom league Wycombe.

The defence for Charlton has been dodgy all season, and it is going to be much changed again today.

El Karkouri and Hreidarsson will return at the expense of two of the back four - the rest of them have been that bad.

Youngster Sankofa will continue at right back in place of England international and skipper Luke young, this is something that Downing needs to exploit.

In midfield there are likely to be lots of changes too.

I expect Reed to go with five men in midfield to attempt to sure things up a bit.

Kishishev will return to add a bit of bite in the middle, he is also fairly decent on the ball, and has the potential to influence things going forward.

Charlton have plenty of pace and skill on the wings, and they will look to use it at every opportunity.

Jerome Thomas is a player in the mould of the likes of Aaron Lennon and Jermaine Pennant. He loves to get the ball at his feet, and whoever Boro play at right back, he will need to have a cracking game.

Sams on the other wing is exactly the same type of player, just a bit younger and inexperienced.

They will most likely leave the dangerous Bent upfront on his own. Boro will need to look out for him hanging on the defenders shoulders looking to break in behind, but then Woody handled Henry well, so he SHOULD be up to the task today.

Now onto the Boro

Key Players

Mark Viduka - Boro look a lot more dangerous with the big man back upfront.

When the team isn't playing well, it is important to have an outlet upfront that can hold onto the ball. Viduka is the best around at this.

Immediately Boro have looked a lot more dangerous going forward and I fancy the big man to score today, and lead the Boro charge up the table!

Stewart Downing - The England winger is now back to his top form in my opinion.

He is whipping in quality balls every time he has the chance now. This was shown against Fulham, where he was putting them in with both his left AND right feet, causing endless problems for the defence.

If the strikers gamble they will get joy.

Mark Schwarzer - The big Aussie has been absolutely world class this season, and in particular in the last few games.

Boro need him to continue in this form over the rest of the season if they are to motor away from the drop zone, and I fancy him for a clean sheet today.

The Manager

Gareth Southgate - The Boro boss is quickly turning us into a more attacking team, and it has been better to watch over the last few games.

However, we are struggling to get the results, and more specifically to score goals. He has us playing in the right way, but he needs his strikers to start firing us up the league.

Likely Lineup

                             Schwarzer

    Davies    Woodgate    Pogatetz    Taylor

    Morrison    Boateng    Arca    Downing

                         Viduka   Yakubu

Woodgate and Pogatetz will return at the expense of Riggot and Parnaby in the only changes to the Boro line-up.

Boro's defence immediately looks more solid than against Fulham, and I think that we will see that today.

The main threat will be from down the wings, with Bent being left upfront on his own.

Davies and Taylor will be seeing plenty of action against Sams and Thomas today, and I think they could struggle with the pace that the two Charlton wingers have to offer.

In midfield, we are finally creating a threat down the wings. Both Downing and in particular Morrison have hit form, and are running at defences once again. If we can continue to get the service in then we surely have to start scoring again soon.

In the middle, Boateng has looked a little bit more like his old self, putting in a couple of thunderous tackles against Fulham. He is still looking short of pace though, and he will have to work damned hard to win the midfield battle today.

Next to him, Arca showed a few nice touches as he attempts to acclimatize himself to his new central role. Could he become the next Bolo Zenden?

Up top Yakubu and Viduka are struggling for form.

It is vitally important that they start to score the goals, and they have both looked a bit more sprightly in the last few games. Viduka is one of the best target men in the world, and he needs to continue to show this. His finish against Fulham was lovely.

Yakubu is beginning to bully defenders again, and looks much happier now he has someone to play off. Hopefully he can bag a couple today and move a bit closer to shutting some of his critics up.

How it will go

Boro are going to win today.

The Riverside won't be packed today, but the fans there will generate a cracking atmosphere. We are going to do them over here, I can see us bagging 3 goals, with both the Yak and Vids on the score sheet.

Come on Boro!

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