Middlesbrough ended a busy seven days of action with a Championship meeting against Derby County.
Boro travelled to Derbyshire on Saturday afternoon for a meeting with newly-promoted Derby County.
Middlesbrough headed into the game on the back of two wins from two so far this campaign.
Michael Carrick saw his side beat Swansea City 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium last Saturday before earning a record-ending win over Leeds United in the League Cup earlier this week.
The Teessiders put out a strong eleven for the clash with Delano Burgzorg coming in for Riley McGree the only change from the team that secured three points last weekend.
Unlike the Swansea tie, though, Middlesbrough started poorly and went 1-0 down after 14 minutes when Isaiah Jones’ backpass gifted the opener to Kayden Jackson.
From there, though, the Teessiders completely dominated the game but were unable to find an equaliser.
After 90 minutes of action, here are five things we learned from Middlesbrough’s meeting with Derby.
Middlesbrough must sign two more players this month
Before the game had even begun, it was clear that Middlesbrough still need more players through the door this summer.
Carrick was able to put out a strong eleven for the clash but Boro’s bench was concerning.
Injuries to Jonny Howson, Dael Fry, Alex Bangura, Daragah Leninhan, Tommy Smith, Marcus Forss, Law McCabe, and Sonny Finch already this summer have left Boro’s squad depth in dire shape.
16-year-old Harley Hunt was named on the bench alongside academy product George McCormick.
Elsewhere, Middlesbrough lacked any real quality options who could change the game barring new signing Tommy Conway.
In turn, it seems likely Carrick will have to dip into the market once more to sign another defender or two and maybe a midfielder.
Does Josh Coburn still have a role at Middlesbrough
After Middlesbrough signed Conway on Friday, the future of Josh Coburn was called into question.
The 21-year-old began the campaign as backup to Emmanuel Latte Lath and even scored as Boro beat Leeds earlier this week.
However, the £4.5m addition of Conway suggested that Coburn was set to be a third-choice striker going forward.
In turn, a loan or a permanent move this summer seemed like a wise move. After Derby, meanwhile, it now looks as though we have seen the last of Coburn in a Boro shirt.
With Middlesbrough 1-0 down with 15 minutes to go, Carrick opted to turn to Conway despite him only singing 24 hours prior, leaving Coburn on the bench until injury time.
Can Michael Carrick afford to loan out Alex Gilbert
It emerged earlier this week that Middlesbrough are looking to loan out Alex Gilbert.
The 22-year-old signed from Brentford last summer and made just 12 league appearances last term.
Gilbert did feature and play fairly well in Boro’s recent League Cup outing, while Saturday’s game was expected to give a good indicator of how important he is in Carrick’s eyes.
And, unfortunately for Gilbert, he still remains far down the pecking order on Teesside.
Finn Azaz excelled in the number 10 role, while Carrick turned to Micah Hamilton instead of Gilbert when Boro needed a goal.
As a result, it looks as though the Middlesbrough boss is happy to do without Gilbert in 2024/25.
Middlesbrough player is too inconsistent to start regularly
The right-wing area of Middlesbrough’s squad has been a problem for some time.
Marcus Forss has been injured since last season, leaving Isaiah Jones as the only senior option on that flank.
The 25-year-old shone against Swansea last week but he reverted to type on Saturday afternoon.
Jones has always been a fairly inconsistent player and the negative side of his game was on full display against Derby, gifting the Rams a goal with a poor backpass.
If Middlesbrough are to compete for promotion in 2024/25, they need to find someone else who can start on the right regularly over the Englishman.
Middlesbrough continue to struggle with one issue
Boro ended 2023/24 four points outside of the top six. This was in part due to injury issues but another factor played a role in them missing out on the play-offs.
Carrick and his squad really struggled against the lower-table teams in the previous campaign.
This was particularly evident against now-relegated Rotherham United, who Boro failed to beat twice.
And after disappointing against Derby on Saturday, it looks as though that same issue will repeat itself in 2024/25.