Luke Ayling has given his thoughts on Middlesbrough’s season so far and his comments are interesting to say the least.
Ahead of the 2024/25 campaign getting underway, Middlesbrough were predicted a high Championship finish.
Opta had the Teessiders down as finishing second in the division with Leeds United taking first place.
With six fixtures now played though, it seems very unlikely Michael Carrick will be able to guide Boro into an automatic promotion spot.
Middlesbrough’s record from their promotion-winning 2015/16 season when they lost one and drew two of their first five matches will give fans some hope a top-two finish is still on the cards.
But their recent performances do suggest the North East outfit, who are 12th in the Championship table, may struggle to even make the play-offs.
Boro put in another infuriating display last time out versus Sunderland but Luke Ayling has since made his feelings on the season so far clear and fans are unlikely to agree.
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Luke Ayling gives bizarre verdict on Middlesbrough season so far
After losing to Sunderland, Boro have now won just two of their opening six league games.
Those victories came against Cardiff City, who are yet to win a game this term and have just sacked their manager, and Swansea City.
Boro have also lost to Derby County and been held to draws by struggling sides Portsmouth and Preston North End.
The main issue facing Carrick’s men is the fact the majority of teams have figured out that if they sit deep against Middlesbrough, their goal threat is extremely limited.
Now though, as per the Northern Echo, Ayling has suggested it is ‘great’ for Boro that teams do not want to play against Middlesbrough and are happy not to press high.
He said: “In our first six games we’ve seen a pattern in how teams are playing against us.
“That’s great for us because it shows we’re playing good football and we have a style of play and teams are realising if they come and play they might get beat.”
Middlesbrough promotion push now under threat
Ayling seems to think that because Boro have a very distinct style of play, they must be playing well.
However, while their counter-attacking approach worked in the second half of 2023/24 when they lost just one in 12, it has made Middlesbrough predictable this season.
The Teessiders play the same way every game and unless a side takes the tie to them like Leeds United tried to do in the first round of the Carabao Cup, there is little chance of Boro scoring too many goals.
Middlesbrough have scored just one goal from open play in the Championship this season, in large part because their opponents just sit deep and stop Emmanuel Latte Lath, etc, running in behind.
So, it has already become clear with less than two months of the campaign gone that unless Carrick changes up his style, Boro are very unlikely to win promotion this season.