TODAY, at Bournemouth’s Goldsands Stadium, the team with the best attacking record in the Championship will take on the side with the best defence.

Bournemouth’s free-flowing attackers against Middlesbrough’s supremely well-organised rearguard. Thanks to the quality of Aitor Karanka’s homework, there is every chance the latter will come out on top.Katy

Ask any of Middlesbrough’s players why things have gone so well this season, and it will not take long for the quality of Karanka’s preparatory work to be discussed. Having learned from the equally meticulous Jose Mourinho, the Spaniard prides himself on ensuring no stone is left unturned as he attempts to ensure his players are ready for whatever is thrown at them on a match day.

Every manager or head coach devotes time to assessing the strengths of the opposition, but Karanka appears to have turned the challenge of out-thinking his Championship rivals into an art form.

“None of this happens by chance,” said George Friend, a key member of a defensive unit that has kept 17 Championship clean sheets already this season. “It’s the preparation that’s the absolute key and that’s been a massive part of everything we’ve been doing this season.

“Defensively, it’s not just the back four that know exactly what their roles are, everyone knows what’s expected in every avenue of the game. The manager doesn’t miss anything out, and if you miss something out that he’s said, he gets angry.

“He covers all his bases, and rightly so because he’s meticulous. He’s the most thorough manager I’ve ever worked for, and that’s probably why he’s the best.

“Credit to him and his staff because they work so hard to prepare for the games, whether it’s in training or with the video analysis, it’s everything. And when we put it in to practice, like we did at Derby on Tuesday night, we all reap the rewards together.”

Boro’s trip to the IPro Stadium is instructive when it comes to assessing the impact of Karanka’s meticulous methods.

Prior to the game, the entire Boro squad were presented with an in-depth examination of Derby’s main attacking threats, with Karanka then going on to explain the tactics he was going to adopt to negate them.

The training sessions prior to the game were set up to mimic Derby’s approach play as best as possible, with the defence and midfield instructed to adopt specific ploys to reflect the player they were expected to be up against.

Friend’s direct rival, Derby winger Tom Ince, was identified as a key threat, so the full-back had a one-on-one session with Karanka in which the pair watched footage of Ince’s preferred runs and came up with a joint plan to force him into areas he did not want to be.

The result? Ince barely had a kick as Boro successfully prevented Derby from scoring and claimed the 1-0 win that took them back into an automatic promotion spot.

“Before the Derby game, the manager took me in for a chat,” said Friend. “He showed me all the videos and that just spurs me on, knowing I’ve got a challenge and that there’s a plan in place that I have to work to. I like to think I did well against him (Ince), but a lot of that was because I knew exactly what to expect.”

The same will have been true ahead of today’s game, but while you can have all the tactical plans in the world, you still need players with the ability to successfully enact them.

That is where the depth of Boro’s squad comes in, and while other clubs find themselves scrambling around to plug the gaps caused by suspensions and injuries at a critical stage of the season, the Teessiders appear spoiled for choice all over the field.

Daniel Ayala, Ryan Fredericks and Damia Abella are currently unavailable, with Kenneth Omeruo seemingly out of favour after an inconsistent campaign, yet Boro have hardly struggled to form a back four.

Tomas Kalas has looked equally at home at full-back or centre-half, with Emilio Nsue also more than capable of playing in the right-back position, while Jonathan Woodgate is also on hand to provide the benefit of the extensive experience he has built up while playing for the likes of England and Real Madrid.

Having considered retirement in the autumn, Woodgate has emerged as Boro’s talisman at a decisive moment of the campaign, and the 35-year-old’s team-mates are in doubt as to the extent of his influence.

“It’s a great story him coming back in at such a crucial moment, and he was absolutely superb down at Derby,” said Friend. “He’s a real inspiration to all the lads.

“Off the pitch, he’s fantastic. He’s the same with absolutely everyone, whether you’re an under-nine or a first-team player. He’s a superb guy to have around the place, and then he’s got a calming influence on the pitch.

“He’s great in the air, cool and composed, and he reads the game better than anyone I’ve ever seen. All the fans already know this – he’s just a superb player and a great lad.”