Middlesbrough faced off with Watford in a Championship fixture on Saturday afternoon at Vicarage Road.
Boro headed into the match on an improved run of form having previously won just two of their first six Championship fixtures.
Middlesbrough beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in their last outing, following on from a 2-0 win over Stoke City at the Riverside Stadium last weekend.
Michael Carrick’s men moved up to seventh in the Championship table as a result and could have climbed into the play-offs with a victory on Saturday.
Middlesbrough were predicted to draw with Watford prior to kick-off at Vicarage Road as the Hornets have been excellent at home this term, only dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Coventry City on September 14th.
When all was said and done in Watford, it was the Hornets who came out on top via a 2-1 scoreline.
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Michael Carrick call cost Middlesbrough vs Watford
Boro looked set to continue their winning run when George Edmundson tapped in a loose ball from a Finn Azaz free-kick to make it 1-0 in the 54th minute.
However, despite previously being excellent at defending leads, when they get them, Middlesbrough collapsed late in the second half.
And unsurprisingly, the Watford equaliser came down the Teessiders’ left-hand side.
Kwadwo Baah had so much space to run into down the left before cutting in and setting up Edo Kayembe for Watford’s first goal.
Baah then got on the scoresheet himself, stabbing in a flick-on from a long throw to hand the home side all three points.
While fingers will be pointed at many players for the defeat, it was Carrick’s decision to bench Riley McGree that cost Boro on Saturday.
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Middlesbrough do not work without Riley McGree
It is well documented at this point that Middlesbrough’s biggest problem area in 2024/25 is their left-back spot.
Both Lukas Engel and summer signing Neto Borges have struggled at times in the early stages of the campaign, with goals vs Portsmouth, Stoke City and Preston North End all being conceded due to a lack of cover down the left.
Boro have tried several different left-wingers so far this term including Azaz, Delano Burgzorg and Micah Hamilton, with the latter interchanging with Azaz down the left against Watford.
However, this game proved that McGree is currently the only viable left-wing option for Carrick right now.
The Australian is the only winger who tracks back and covers the big gap left by Middlesbrough’s marauding left-backs.
It is no coincidence that when McGree started the previous two fixtures, Boro kept two clean sheets. And as soon as he was dropped – despite not being injured – vs Watford, the same left-hand-side issue emerged once more to cost the North East outfit.