Tony Mowbray has discussed Michael Carrick, the opposition's form this season and given his thoughts on whether it's a proper derby or not!
CARRICK
“I feel like you can’t be anything other than impressed (with Carrick) really. People started asking questions, seven games without a win at the start of the season, on the back of losing a lot of high-quality footballers last year."
LOST THEIR LOANS
“It is part of the reason you have to be careful with loans I think because loans ultimately go back and whether your recruitment is right you have to replace the quality of a Premier League player with more quality. I think they have found that challenging, as I have as a coach in my career. These really talented Premier League players that you’ve got, even though they are very young, leave your club and you have to be able to replace them. It appears they have been bedding in a few players they’ve signed if you are looking just at results.”
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
“They obviously had a tough start but have turned it around, won their last four games. From what I’m watching they are a very well coached team, have good rotations, good identity, we know how they play. We have to try and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and see how the game goes but they have some good players."
IS IT A DERBY?
“I have been here a year or so now and we’ve played them twice. It’s a big game for me, I live on Teesside of course and everybody wants to talk football. I think if you ask Sunderland supporters there is only one big derby for them. Middlesbrough would consider both Sunderland and Newcastle as big derby games, maybe even Leeds is a huge game, similar sort of distances and yet not like a Tyne-Wear derby. We should just look forward to it, there are three points at stake and I don’t want to build it up to anything other than two decent teams in good form trying to win a football match really. We are in decent form and they are in good form having won their last four. Let’s bring it on.”
