Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder has admitted that Marcus Tavernier’s sale to Bournemouth has impacted the way the team want to play.
The north-east outfit picked up a point on the opening day, drawing 1-1 at home to West Brom, with Boro performing very well in the first half before Albion gradually got back into the game.
In the second half Boro lost the control they had, and, speaking to Teesside Live after the game, Wilder explained how Riley McGree has had to change his game following Tavernier’s exit.
“What’s happened with Tav going, we’ve worked all pre-season on him being number 8 and Riley (McGree) being 10. It’s difficult for Riley all of a sudden. The only thing is we are shuffling around too much.
“I understand and respect opinions and I think the players, all they need to do is respect and understand my and the coach’s opinion. I thought we were really good for 75% of the game against a really talented side.”
Boro are expected to be very busy in the market in the coming weeks, with Tavernier’s sale along with Djed Spence’s move to Spurs meaning Wilder will expect to be backed financially.
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The verdict
It’s clear that Boro didn’t want to lose Tavernier and you can understand why, as he was a regular last season and has plenty of ability.
But, sometimes these things happen in football and the reality is that Boro got a decent fee, whilst the player also wanted to move.
Now, Wilder needs to find a replacement or make the relevant tactical tweaks to get the best out of the squad, with the first half display against Albion proving that there is still a lot of quality in the group.
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
