Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka has called for a response from his team after they suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.

The North-East side sit in 13th position in the standings after losing to both Crystal Palace and Everton since the international break.

Ahead of the club's home match with Tottenham Hotspur, Karanka has admitted that seeing his team occupy a lower spot in the table is new to him but he wants his players to remain confident ahead of a testing run of fixtures over the next two months.

The 43-year-old told reporters: "I've always been fighting to win something. This season it's the first time I'm losing games and are fighting for another aim.

"Now we need to keep going and be confident. I said two weeks ago I was really pleased with the club's work in the summer."

Karanka has won 74 of his 145 games in charge of Boro since arriving at the club in 2013.