Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka piles the pressure on Sean Dyche and Burnley ahead of crucial clash

Dyche has been surprised by the reaction to his comments from earlier in the campaign about Middlesbrough's spending this season, and Karanka has now had his response.

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"They have spent money," he said of Burnley.

"Imagine if I was here this season and at the beginning of the season, having been recently relegated with almost the same team, and they were my squad, I would have no excuses not to win promotion again.

"We started the season with good players and spent money because the chairman thought now is the right moment. We played the final last season without spending money and this season we've spent money and we are top of the table.

"I am pleased because the job that the players are doing and the job the chairman gave me is good, and we are giving him back with our position and our work.

"We had to spend because I didn’t spend money in the last two years and even without spending money we reached the final last season. Imagine if I had a team with 10 to 13 players from the Premier League and my chairman sends me (Andre) Gray and (James) Tarkowski and other players, maybe we would be in the Premier League in February."

Karanka added: "Of course (I thought they'd be top two) because at the beginning of the season you had a team with 10 or 12 players who last season were playing in the Premier League.

"Then if you add Gray and Tarkowski in January, really good players with a lot of experience, I expected them to be in that position. But we are now above them and it is because we are doing really really well."

Of Dyche's comments about spending, Karanka said: "I don’t spend one second thinking about what other people are saying.

"I am concerned with my team and preparing for games, and I try to be every day better than I was the previous day so things people say is not a problem for me."