#2 An inspiring manager
Under Aitor Karanka, Middlesbrough have had a fantastic season in the Championships and have emerged brilliantly. This historically great club have come close to qualifying for top flight football in England several times. Recently, there was still some doubt regarding Karanka's continuing association with the club after he went incommunicado following Boro's loss to Charlton Athletic.
However, the manager returned with full gusto and Boro won six consecutive games after this one defeat. This do-or-die attitude and the desire to play as a cohesive team is something that will come extremely handy once the club returns to playing regularly at a massively big stage like the EPL. Karanka has expressed his fondness for the club and shut down whatever doubt regarding his contracts there were by saying that he was in no danger of leaving the club before the season.
Karanka has been a prolific player during his time in Spain and is quite famous for taking risks that no one else would. But really, after Leicester's fairy tale run in the league, maybe it is a sign that the tried and tested style of play that has dominated the English tournament so far, needs a tactical revision
