Middlesbrough saw their dismal form continue on Saturday afternoon.
Travelling to relegation threatened Stoke City, Michael Carrick‘s side were unable to capitalise on the recent struggles of their hosts.
Instead, a goal in either half from Junho Bae and Lewis Baker secured a big three points for the hosts with a 2-0 win.
As a result, it is now just one win in seven Championship games for Middlesbrough. As a result, ‘Boro themselves are now just six points clear of the relegation zone.
One particular player who endured a tough afternoon for the visitors at the Bet365 Stadium, was Dan Barlaser.
Middlesbrough midfielder criticised for Potters performance
Having retained his place in the starting lineup for this weekend’s trip to Stoke City, Barlaser struggled with his role in the centre of the park.
According to SofaScore, the Middlesbrough midfielder lost possession on 15 seperate occasions through the course of the match.
Only two Middlesbrough players would give the ball away more times during the course of the game.
That is something that was indeed picked up on during the match itself, before full time had even been reached.
Taking to X during the second half to give his thoughts, Northern Echo journalist Dominic Shaw wrote:
“Not for the first time today, Barlaser cheaply concedes possession in his own half. Stoke should punish him. Boro have been dreadful since HT.”
Next up for Middlesbrough is the visit of Norwich City to the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night.
Dan Barlaser under pressure
After a performance such as this, Barlaser’s place in the side could be set to come in for some scrutiny.
Speaking recently, Carrick revealed that Jonny Howson is closing in on a return to action for ‘Boro, and could be back for next weekend.
With Barlaser producing a performance like this that has certainly not helped Middlesbrough in a game that appeared winnable, there may be calls for a change to come.
Indeed, Howson has certainly shown he has the experience, leadership and quality at this level, to help guide ‘Boro through the sort of challenging position they now find themselves in.
That may mean that Barlaser has to come up with some impressive and important performances of his own before in what may now be the short time before Howson returns to show his worth to the squad.
If he is unable to do that, then it may not be a surprise if Barlaser is not in the Middlesbrough starting lineup for much longer.
Indeed, with the position they are now in, they cannot afford to be continually playing individuals who may repeatedly make the sort of errors that Barlaser did on Saturday afternoon.