Michael Carrick had to watch on frustratingly on Saturday as his Middlesbrough side once again missed a golden opportunity to build on their recent good form.
A 0-0 draw at home to struggling Blackburn in many ways typified Middlesbrough’s Championship season. Having beaten Norwich, QPR and Birmingham, the chance to creep up on their play-off hunting rivals was there for the taking. But in true Boro fashion, they struggled to make their possession and at times, dominance count. Carrick alluded to the missed opportunity in his post-match assessment.
Carrick said:
“100%, yeah [that feels like two points dropped]. I’m frustrated really, I think it was one of those games where we needed a moment and couldn’t quite find it, whether it was the pass or the finish. There was some alright football in between the boxes and we defended the box alright, but couldn’t quite find the moment.”
Another opportunity missed for Middlesbrough
There is no doubt that if asked beforehand, Carrick would have gladly taken 10 points from a possible 12. But the fact remains, having navigated themselves back into a position where they could have a real push for a top-six finish, it now seems the moment has passed. They sit seven points adrift. Not insurmountable, but a huge ask given the other teams in and around them.
The game against Blackburn showed again what Middlesbrough have missed this season. They were well on top, started well and for the most part, were the better attacking side. But they missed that clinical moment in front of goal. Their approach play, as always was impressive, but they have a tendency to overplay in the final third, looking to be to concise and intricate.
Riley McGree, Finn Azaz and Sami Silvera were all guilty of missed chances or making the wrong decision at a crucial moment. Stats page Sofascore shows that Middlesbrough had a total of 18 shots throughout the match. Managing to register only three on target and 13 of the 18 shots were inside the box.
Marcus Forss injury impacted Boro’s effectiveness
Despite a recent improvement in the goal scoring stakes since the return of Emmanuel Latte Lath, who has enjoyed a promising new partnership with Marcus Forss, the withdrawal of the latter of the two players early in the game through injury, seemed to have a detrimental effect on proceedings.
Latte Lath looked isolated without someone to play alongside. The switch to a wing back system has enabled Boro to play more of a 3-4-1-2, with Riley McGree drifting behind Forss and Latte Lath. His work ethic was good, but without Forss, he struggled to have the same impact on the game. It is something that Carrick must address this summer. The Ivorian does not seem to be as well suited to the lone striker role when players aren’t supporting him and getting around him.
Forss going off also forced the Head Coach to shuffle his pack and revert back to a back four, which effected the width of the side. McGree and Finn Azaz are more adept to floating in the ten role behind the striker, with Ayling and Engel reverting to full-back from wing-back, they were unable to press as high as they would like. That meant the width was lost.
Too many times Middlesbrough have failed to make their dominance count by punishing the opposition. Carrick and the recruitment team must identify how best to approach that problem in the summer. They simply have to ensure the team is more clinical next season, particularly in games that are tight and will be decided by those key moments.
Boro’s plan to become more clinical
Of course, it is not just the strikers who need to be more clinical, but overall as a collective, the group must improve their conversion to chances ratio. In terms of big chances missed, Middlesbrough are second only to Leicester. They have created 87 big chances, missing 59 of them.
The obvious suggestion would be to make a foray into the transfer market to find a goal scorer. The club have tried in previous windows to land a top striker. The January window unfortunately saw them miss out on Brandon Vazquez who signed for CF Monterrey. The failed to make any breakthrough as far as centre-forwards go, and actually sold Calum Kavanagh who left on a permanent deal with Bradford.
The good news, is that with the sale of Morgan Rogers, a deal that was not pre-planned, the club should not be in a position to have to sell this summer. With the previous sale of Chuba Akpom to Ajax back in the summer, they should be in a healthy place financially and whilst they are unlikely to spend big, they can certainly make a permanent move for a striker without fear of FFP recriminations.
Recruitment model will impact any summer deals
Having splurged big on forwards in the past, the club will continue with their developmental approach to finding young players in the 18-24 age bracket and progressing them. Long gone are the days of spending £7million pounds on Ashley Fletcher, or £15 million on Britt Assombalonga. You can’t argue with that model, especially having made a huge profit on Morgan Rogers in the space of six months. But Middlesbrough need to make sure that they get it right up front next season. Latte Lath and Josh Coburn are both still developing in the Championship. Latte Lath is still adapting to a new division and has been interrupted by injury as has 20-year-old Coburn. You would hope that if those two can stay fit, accompanied by Forss, then next season will see an improvement in chances taken.
Should he be available to play in the remaining games, Coburn in particular will relish the opportunity to play in the system recently employed by Carrick. More width and crosses from wing-backs, and the chance to play alongside another forward could suit the big Richmond striker. The final eight games could be a barometer for the coaching staff to figure out how they approach the summer window. Whatever happens in the summer, Middlesbrough must be more clinical if they are to seriously pursue promotion next season.