After the release of the 2016/17 Premier League fixtures thoughts are shifting towards the new season starting on 13 August. Adrian Clarke looks at where each of 20 clubs might seek to improve. In the latest article, he focuses on newly-promoted Middlesbrough.
Premier League newcomers Middlesbrough did not concede more than once to any team at the Riverside Stadium in last season’s Championship, registering 15 clean sheets on home turf.
Providing that they maintain those levels of discipline, avoiding relegation can certainly be the bare minimum in 2016/17.
Stepping up a level, it will be a tough task for Aitor Karanka’s men to prove just as impregnable in defence, however. That means there will be an extra onus on the club’s forwards to deliver match-winning contributions.
While all attackers played their part in promotion – David Nugent, Cristhian Stuani, Gaston Ramirez, Albert Adomah and Jordan Rhodes each scoring between six and eight league goals – no player managed to reach double figures.
It is for that reason I believe attacking upgrades will be a must for Karanka ahead of their Premier League return.
To flourish in the top flight Karanka will need a more prolific striker, preferably a finisher with the pace to offer his side a different dimension.
Nugent and Rhodes are decent options but neither possess lightning speed. That lack of pace explains in part why the club registered a surprisingly low number of goals from open play in 2015/16, despite finishing as Championship runners-up.
| Goal type | Total | League rank |
| Open play | 30 | 10th |
| Counter-attack | 3 | 1st |
| Set-piece | 15 | 4th |
| Penalty | 4 | 9th |
| Own goal | 2 | 5th |
Boro will miss the influence of Ramirez, who scored seven times in 15 starts during a loan spell from Southampton. Can 22-year-old new recruit, Viktor Fischer, fill the void left by the Uruguayan?
The gifted Denmark international struggled to nail down a regular place with Ajax last season, even if he did score eight goals. Karanka will be hoping Fischer can better that tally in 2016/17.
Karanka may also consider bringing in at least one cooler head in central midfield. The Adam Clayton-Grant Leadbitter axis is wonderfully combative, but between them they racked up 24 yellow cards last term. A lack of discipline could end up costing them come May.
Middlesbrough's opening fixtures
| Matchweek | Opponent |
| MW1 | Stoke (h) |
| MW2 | Sunderland (a) |
| MW3 | West Brom (a) |
| MW4 | Crystal Palace (h) |
| MW5 | Everton (a) |
While there’s no such thing as an easy match in the Premier League, Boro won't be too upset with the start they have been given.
Facing Stoke City, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Everton in their opening five fixtures, the Teessiders appear to have a decent chance on getting early points on the board. It is a period of the campaign they must fully exploit.