An interesting statistic has emerged which should fill Middlesbrough fans with confidence going into next season.
Middlesbrough’s season is pretty much over now.
They had a late sniff of a top six finish and they gave it a good go, but with two games left now, there’s nine points standing between Boro in 9th and Norwich City in 6th.
So mathematically, there’s nothing left to play for.
But Michael Carrick, ahead of what will be his second full season in charge, will want to lay the foundations for a positive summer and a positive 2023/24 campaign.
What will Middlesbrough be expecting in 2024/25
Whenever Middlesbrough are in the Championship, the aim is to get out of it and into the Premier League.
They have good infrastructure for a Championship club and they’re not afraid to spend when they need to.
So for Boro and Carrick, the expectation will of course be to earn promotion one way or another.
They may think a play-off finish is more likely than an automatic one, though with the teams coming down from the Premier League not looking all that impressive, a strong summer transfer window could mean Boro are title contenders.
Middlesbrough statistic should fill fans with hope
There’s an overriding sense with Middlesbrough that everything is in place, they just need a couple of new players to finish it off.
Carrick is still a well-liked manager and the large majority of fans have faith in him.
And rightly so; it turns out that Middlesbrough have the fifth-highest xG in the Championship, with only the current top four having a better xG.
EFL pundit Ryan Dilks said on the matter:
“Attack-wise, only the top four have a better xG than Middlesbrough this season, which I find pretty remarkable. But that shows they’ve created chances, that’s not a problem at all, it’s putting them away.”
Michael Carrick already has the answer
That’s been another common theme for Middlesbrough this season; creating the chances but not being able to put them away.
There’s been countless games where Middlesbrough have had to settle for a point or even a loss when in actual fact they probably should’ve won the game.
Though the recent return of Emmanuel Latte Lath and his impressive scoring form has certainly been a boost.
He’s now on 14 goals in what is his maiden season in England, having featured 28 times in the Championship.
The 25-year-old has scored six in his last four outings for Middlesbrough and if they can keep him fit next time round, and put some more quality players around him to compliment his style, then Boro could be in for a very promising 2024/25 campaign.
Middlesbrough return to action vs Cardiff City on Saturday.