Middlesbrough took on Derby County at Pride Park on Saturday afternoon.
Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick got off to a perfect start to the 2024/25 Championship season last weekend.
In their first game of the campaign, Carrick’s Middlesbrough beat Swansea City 1-0, which was followed by a 3-0 hammering of Leeds United in midweek.
In turn, big things were expected of Boro when they took on Derby County on Saturday.
The Rams were smashed 4-2 by Blackburn Rovers on the opening day, leading to Middlesbrough being predicted to beat Derby.
However, despite Middlesbrough pressure in the first half, it was Paul Warne’s side who went in at half time with a one-goal lead.
Isaiah Jones attempted a backpass which fell straight into the path of Kayden Jackson, who broke forward before rounding Seny Dieng to make it 1-0.
Jones’ error ended up costing Middlesbrough the game, with Carrick’s men failing to find an equaliser despite dominating much of the match.
One Middlesbrough player was a ‘nightmare’ vs Derby County
In truth, there were not too many Middlesbrough players who shone on Saturday, especially in the first half.
Finn Azaz tested Derby’s backline on several occasions with some excellent through balls and a couple of long-range efforts.
Matt Clarke was also his usually reliable self when it came to defending crosses put into the Boro box.
However, there was one player who really did not cover himself in glory during the fixture.
That man is the aforementioned Jones, who handed Derby the lead thanks to his lack of concentration.
During the match in Derbyshire, journalist Dominic Shaw took to Twitter/X to label Jones’ error a ‘nightmare’.
Michael Carrick needs to find Isaiah Jones solution
Jones has begun the 2023/24 season as Middlesbrough’s starting right winger. But in truth, that is largely only because Marcus Forss is still out injured.
Forss was Carrick’s first-choice on that flank last term before his season-ending issue, but the Boro boss has had to rely on Jones so far in 2024/25.
The 25-year-old impressed against Swansea last weekend, winning the penalty that Emmanuel Latte Lath scored the only goal of the game from.
However, Jones was back to his inconsistent self against Derby, misplacing passes and struggling to make wise decisions when it came to his final ball.
This is not a new phenomenon for Jones and Boro fans will be well aware of what an inconsistent player the Englishman is.
Jones’ displays have been a problem for some time and Carrick must now decide if he will stick with the player as his first choice or give the inexperienced Micah Hamilton a chance out wide.