There has been a lot of talk in the media about the threat that Adama Traore will pose to us on Saturday. Of course, it is a good story with a player coming back to face his old side.
It does mean the focus is off other potential threats in Middlesbrough’s ranks. Tony Pulis’s teams are not ones for expansive football and the treatment of their top scorer in recent months has been surprising, to say the least.
Britt Assombalonga was a £15m signing by Garry Monk in the summer and went on to score 12 goals in the first half of the season before the Boro boss was replaced by the former Stoke and West Brom manager.
Since then, however, he has struggled for game time, making just seven league starts under Pulis, with Patrick Bamford having taken his place in the side on a regular basis.
Yet, in recent weeks, with his rival for the lone striking role rested, the Congolese international has been getting himself back on the scoresheet.
A goal apiece in the wins against Derby and Millwall, and a full 90 minutes in the draw against Ipswich puts him in with a chance of starting against us at the weekend.
With Bamford having scored a last-ditch equaliser at Portman Road to secure a fifth-place finish, it may be their no.9 could be overlooked, but if he does start, we all know he will be a handful for our backline.
For all intents and purposes, he seems a perfect fit for a Pulis team. He’s good in the air, holds up the ball well and is a good finisher. His lack of defensive work, however, means he hasn’t always been favoured by the current manager.
A £15m forward shouldn’t really be going under the radar, and I’m sure Steve Bruce will have plans in place to deal with his threat, but the fact that there is only a 50/50 chance of him playing on Saturday does worry me a bit.
Our opponents do have an ace in their hand that they can choose to play if they wish. Whether they will, we’ll have to wait and see.
