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Rob Edwards is not getting carried away by Middlesbrough’s positive start to the season – and will hammer home the same message to his squad ahead of today’s Championship clash at Norwich City.
The Boro boss is delighted by their two wins from their opening two league games, but is well aware of the challenge that lies ahead at Carrow Road.
Boro sit joint top of the table at this early stage, but Edwards feels the Canaries will post a tough test of his side’s credentials, and stressed it was essential his players remembered the messages he has been stressing since he first arrived at the club.
“We’ll certainly try to keep this good run going,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to it, it’s been a good week. But we’re well aware of the size of the task at hand. Norwich are a big football club, especially in this league. They’ve got good players, and going there is never easy. It’s a big challenge but we’re really looking forward to it.
“Football can quickly change, so it’s important that we continue to value doing the basics well. We’ve done well because we’ve run hard and we’ve run quickly. The high-intensity running has been excellent and the sprinting has been excellent too. We’ve been competitive in duels, winning second balls, and we’ve valued doing the basics really well.
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“I’m going to keep banging on about that stuff, and then we’ve got some good footballers as well that when they play and get on the ball, they’re able to do things. But without the other side of the game, you don’t have a platform or a base to play from. I’ll keep talking about the basics, the stuff that’s not necessarily seen by everyone, and the importance of valuing that. We see it and really value it.
“It’s certainly easier that than getting hammered every week and having everyone against us. We want a positive environment, clearly. We want to win football matches, simple as that. If we can be consistent in what we do, then we believe that with a lot of good footballers that we’ve got, we can win games.
“We’ve made a good start, but that’s all it is. I’m well aware of that. But it’s good that there is a positive feeling around the place. Of course that’s great.
“Norwich are a big side. They’re physical, so as well as being good footballers, it is land of the giants again. We have to take on that challenge.
“It’s a big challenge. They’ve got a real power, but then they’ve got quality as well. There’s a few new signings that have come in and, as you would expect from a Norwich team, they’re good players.
“They’ve got quality in all areas of the pitch so, in a slightly different way, this will be just as big a challenge as it was last week at Millwall. In many ways, it’s more difficult because there’ll probably be more variation to how Norwich play.”
After Norwich, Boro face Sheffield United at the Riverside before the first international break of the season. The Blades are currently bottom of the table after two defeats from their opening games, and host Millwall today.
