Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka says his side are competing in a mini-league for survival
BORO chief focused on battles with teams in and around his side
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MIDDLESBROUGH are competing within a mini-league for survival and are not in the same class as the likes of Everton, claims boss Aitor Karanka.
Boro had made a promising start to the season with draws against Stoke and West Brom and win over Sunderland before suffering consecutive defeats against Crystal Palace and a 3-1 setback against the Toffees on Saturday.
The Spanish boss is refusing to get too downhearted after the Goodison Park loss and urged his side to keep calm.
Karanka said: “I don’t think our league is Everton. For sure we are going to beat teams at the top of the table because I don’t want to say we will lose to the teams at the top or give them three points as a present.
“We are going to compete for every single point but we have to be honest and we have to be fair and Everton is not our league.”
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Former Real Madrid defender Karanka believes that his side’s survival hopes rest on how they fare against the sides in and around them.
He added: “Our league was last week - Crystal Palace, West Brom, Sunderland and, though I didn’t think at the beginning, Stoke.
“We have to keep calm, remember where we were last season, the squad we have and to see that Everton had to play their best to beat us.”
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