Being compared to Real Madrid may not be the positive Middlesbrough fans think it is.
Middlesbrough played out their second game of the 2024/25 Championship season this past Saturday.
Michael Carrick took his first-team squad to Pride Park for a meeting with Derby County on August 17th.
After beating Swansea City and Leeds United in the space of a few days, expectations were high heading into Boro’s clash with the Rams.
Paul Warne’s side have just been promoted from League One and were smashed 4-2 by Blackburn Rovers on the opening day of the campaign.
In turn, a win for the North East outfit seemed very likely, even if they were playing away from home.
However, Middlesbrough lost 1-0 to Derby in what was perhaps the most shocking result of the weekend.
The home team took the lead inside 14 minutes when Isaiah Jones played a sloppy pass back to Seny Dieng, allowing Nathaniel Mendez-Laing to run in on goal and score.
Paul Warne makes Middlesbrough Real Madrid comparison
After going 1-0 down, Middlesbrough went on to dominate the remainder of the 90 minutes.
Delano Burgzorg scored in the second half but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The Dutchman, along with Emmanuel Latte Lath, Finn Azaz and several more players, had some chances to equalise but failed to do so.
Tommy Conway made his Middlesbrough debut late on to try and rescue a point but in the end, their efforts proved fruitless.
Following the game, Warne explained his game plan against Boro, stating Derby set up so deep because Middlesbrough are ‘unbelievable’. The Rams boss even made a comparison with Real Madrid, as per Teesside Live.
He said: “It’s against everything I believe in. I don’t like having our teams back off but you have to be a realist.
“You wouldn’t go and take on Real Madrid and go toe to toe. I’m not saying Middlesbrough are Real Madrid but they have unbelievable talent.”
Michael Carrick has major Middlesbrough problem exposed
While being compared to one of the best-ever teams in Europe may seem like a positive, it has exposed a major problem Middlesbrough will face this season.
The Teessiders are expected to be in the promotion race this term after ending 2023/24 with a run of just one loss in 12.
After such a dominant end to the campaign, Boro are now seen as a massive threat to many teams who play them.
In turn, it was easy to see why Derby set up so deep on Saturday, especially after they took the lead.
A lot of teams, including Portsmouth this weekend, will deploy a similar tactic against Middlesbrough in 2024/25.
However, as we saw against Derby and in several matches last term, Carrick’s side really struggle against teams who sit deep.
If Middlesbrough do not find a way to solve this issue soon, their chances of finishing inside the top six will take a major hit.