AGNEW BACKS GUZAN TO FILL VALDES’S GLOVES
BORO BOSS HAS FAITH IN EXPERIENCED AMERICAN KEEPER TO BE A STAND-OUT STAND-IN
Brad Guzan has been backed to step into Victor Valdes’s boots as Middlesbrough attempt to drag themselves back from the brink of relegation from the Premier League.
The 32-year-old United States international replaced the injured Valdes for Monday night’s 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal and is set to wear the gloves once again at Bournemouth tomorrow (3pm), with the Spaniard struggling to shake off a rib problem.
However, interim head coach Steve Agnew has no qualms over turning to a man who knows the English top flight inside out after eight years at Aston Villa.
Agnew said: “Brad Guzan has been great this season. He was in earlier on in the season and performed very, very well and again I thought he was very, very competent the other night.
“We have to remember he’s played seven, eight years in the Premier League with Aston Villa, so he’s an experienced goalkeeper.”
Guzan’s appearance against the Gunners was just his fourth in the league this season and his return has come with Boro desperately scrapping for their lives, having slipped six points adrift of safety with six games left.
The trip to the Vitality Stadium and next Wednesday’s home clash with fellow strugglers Sunderland represent must-win affairs for the Teessiders, with the runin significantly increasing in difficult thereafter.
However, Agnew has no fears over Guzan’s readiness to play his part, with he and former Hartlepool United goalie Dimi Konstantopoulos preparing for each game as if they were starting anyway.
He said: “They sit and watch videos of the opposition and they know exactly the strengths and weaknesses of Bournemouth in an attacking sense.
“As I said earlier, it’s the experience that Brad brings – and Dimi, obviously – that gives you confidence.”
Agnew will make late checks on striker Rudy Gestede, who is nursing a foot injury, and full-back Fabio, who damaged a knee on Monday evening, although he is hopeful both men will be available, as will Calum Chambers, who was ineligible to play against his parent club despite shaking off a foot problem.
Bournemouth, down to 16th place but still seven points above the drop zone, are determined to put last week’s 4-0 drubbing at Spurs behind them.
Midfielder Marc Pugh said: “We’ve got Middlesbrough at home, that’s a massive game and three points would boost our season.
“We’ve proven over the last five or six years that we can bounce back. We’ll work on what we did wrong and then try to rectify that to put in a solid free-flowing performance. We want to do everything in our power to win games for this football club.
“We want to be playing in the Premier League next season so we need to turn up and be the better team against Middlesbrough.”