Marco Silva has labelled our next game against Middlesbrough as the toughest game left in the fixture calendar ahead of our trip to North Yorkshire on Wednesday evening.
It's a quick turnaround for the Whites, following on from our victory on Saturday over West London rivals QPR and Marco is expecting a difficult night at the Riverside Stadium.
"It’s the last push," is how he described the final run-in of fixtures left to come. "The next one will be really tough for us definitely. It’s probably the most difficult match that we have until the end of the season. Looking at their quality and what they are doing so far.
"In this competition, it's difficult to say that this one will be more difficult than the others but looking at the way they play and the way they create problems for the opposition and the results they are achieving at home, I have this opinion.
"We have full focus on ourselves, nothing changes for us. We will go there to try and get the three points and come back with a smile on our faces because we did our best.
"I’m 100% sure that at our top, top level, we can beat them at home.
"Some of the quality they brought in in the January market makes them stronger.
"The impact that that has had on their squad is huge as well and of course, they are fighting for what they planned because I remember at the beginning of the season, they were one of the teams that wanted to get promoted and they wanted to fight for it, and they are fighting."
It has been a difficult couple of years for our captain, Tom Cairney, following his injury and recently contracting COVID-19 but his return to the starting lineup has impressed Marco and is likely to continue to give him a selection headache with his abundance of midfield options.
"He did a good game. He has made a very good impact after the injury on our squad.
"He knows what I expect from him and what I demand from him. He is a player that is a completely different profile to the other midfielders we have.
"The way he made that pass is something that only he can see, he has that vision and he can support our attack.
"He knows I want him to be more decisive and closer to the opposition box. He is a player with high technical quality with a great vision as well, who can find spaces when they don’t look to be there.
"I’m really pleased with the way he came back into the team and the performance he got."
The Whites have impressed so far this season on the pitch and have turned the corner from a disappointing campaign last year.
When Marco was asked about what he had changed at the club, he replied: “It wasn’t just my work, it was all of us. (Last year) it was a tough season for this football club.
"Five wins in the Premier League shows that it was a really tough season. It was a tough season for the fans as well.
"I felt from the first day the desire (from the players). It was a new process and a big change for this football club.
"It was like everybody started from zero. Everyone has to show their quality. We have to show why we came here, what we want, what we demand from them, and what is our philosophy for them to be fully involved.
"The majority of them were really open from the first day. They enjoyed the club and wanted to be successful again with this football club. Every day we just focus on ourselves.”
