Southgate: The fans are desperate

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is hoping his team can get the ‘spark’ back into their game following three straight Premier League defeats.

He said: "The fans are desperate for something to get them going and I do think since the Sunderland game with the late goal we conceded then and the injuries we picked up then, everything has gone a little bit flat.

"We have got to get that spark back. Saturday was going to be a tough day to do that against the quality of opposition we were up against.

"But if we had started the game better, it might have been an afternoon to be able to do that.

"We didn't and we know it is a difficult period for us - that's not unexpected.

"But we have to maintain a sense of perspective. We were in a similar position this time last year, we have got plenty to come back into the side and into the squad.

"We have to work hard together to get ourselves out of the position we are in, and we will do that.

"But it won't happen overnight. There has been a lot of change and there will continue to be change.

"In many ways, I thought the amount of change and the things we had to deal with, the bulk of it would have been done last year.

"But it is still ongoing, so the things I have to maintain and work at with the players are very similar to what we faced last season."

He added: "We have got to find a bit of a spark this week because we could have said that about Chelsea coming here.

"They had lost their last two coming here and there was a great feeling in the dressing room before the game. But we didn't get out of the blocks.

"Old Trafford is a great place to go and play football, and we have got to go and get something from the game next week."