KIM HELLBERG admits that Middlesbrough will always miss Will Lankshear when he is not in the lineup, but the Borough manager argues that the absence of the Championship’s top striker was not the main reason for his side’s 2-0 defeat at Wrexham.
Borough failed to score in a league game for the first time this season yesterday night, falling to their first Championship defeat since August, with Lankshear out due to a muscular injury that forced him off in the closing moments of last weekend’s triumph against Charlton Athletic.
Borough lacked a cutting edge without Lankshear, despite playing Kyle Joseph, Tommy Conway, and David Strelec as central strikers at various points throughout the game.
Despite having more than 62% control, the Teessiders only managed two shots on goal, but Hellberg did not believe Lankshear’s absence was the deciding reason in his team’s defeat.
“I think every team would miss their top goalscorer,” said the Borough manager, who hopes Lankshear will be available for Saturday’s match at Watford. “It’s considerably tougher when the decision has to be made at the last minute and you’ve already scheduled him to play. That does not help.
The Will Lankshear issue is ringing loud and clear after Middlesbrough’s defeat at Wrexham.
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“You have to find ways, but today I believe it would have been difficult for whoever was on the field because we were not sharp enough.” There were few opportunities for anyone to wind up with.
“To be fair to Will, he isn’t always involved in the build-up, but he’s really good in the box, pressing, and all of that. So we need to figure out how to play without him. However, as I previously stated, I believe any team would suffer if they lost the players who had scored 13 goals in 13 games. I believe that applies to every team in the globe.”
Hellberg rested Lankshear in last month’s home defeat to Cardiff, and Borough fell behind two goals before their star striker came off the substitute to help salvage a point.
On the one hand, Boro’s record without Lankshear in the starting lineup emphasises how vital he is, implying that Hellberg must start him in every game he is available for. On the other hand, if Borough struggles without Lankshear, Hellberg may need to continue safeguarding him whenever possible to avoid a much longer absence.
“That’s always a balance you have to consider,” stated the Borough manager. “I know I took a lot of flak for resting him in that [Cardiff] game, but that’s always the case; you have to balance what the players are doing.
“I was always concerned about him since he hadn’t spent the entire preseason with us, and I was wondering how you would balance him. At the end of the day, you wish he could have rested the entire Cardiff game. It’s all about balancing his workload and what you expect of him.”
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