Aitor Karanka lightening up and ever happier to be at Middlesbrough | Louise Taylor

Eight months on from a pre-promotion meltdown, Aitor Karanka now cuts a calmer figure and his Middlesbrough team host Chelsea this Sunday on the back of three fine results

Aitor Karanka sits facing a window, contemplating the pristine green training pitches at the bottom of the hill and the treetops defining dense woodland beyond. Middlesbrough’s manager is in the upstairs canteen at Rockliffe Park, the club’s training ground set in undulating parkland on the border between County Durham and North Yorkshire.

Related: Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola says side must be more ruthless

Continue reading...