Break pleases Southgate
08 Oct 2007 - 11:18:36
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate hopes that the two-week international break will allow his injured players time to return to full fitness.
Southgate was unable to start with Dong-Gook Lee, Mido, Jeremie Aliadiere, Julio Arca, Robert Huth, Emanuel Pogatetz or Sanli Tuncay against Manchester City on Sunday, although the latter did come on as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 defeat.
The Boro boss said after the loss: "We set out to try to do a job and for the first half-an-hour there was nothing in the game.
"We knew City would play the way they did, sitting back and trying to hit us on the break. But the goals we're conceding are poor and that's costing us matches.
"That's more of a worry at the moment because if you keep clean sheets you pick points up.
"We've got players to come back in forward positions and we're creating chances. We certainly shouldn't be conceding the type of goals we're conceding at the moment.
"The last break came at the wrong time for us and this one is coming at the right time. It gives us a chance to get some bodies fit and get on the training ground with the players who are staying behind.
"We have to roll our sleeves up, we know it's a tough time for us.
"Any team with three or four first-choice players missing has a problem, that's obvious. But what we have to do is get results with the team we put out."