Middlesbrough welcome Stoke City to the Riverside Stadium for a Championship clash on Saturday.
It has been a season to forget for Middlesbrough so far, in no small part due to what The Potters did to them in the Carabao Cup last month.
After seeing off local rivals Leeds United 3-0 in the first round, Boro likely felt confident about picking up another win. However, Stoke City beat Middlesbrough 5-0 to knock them out of the competition in the second round.
A similar scoreline is not expected at the Riverside Stadium this weekend though, with Michael Carrick having put out a fringe eleven for the League Cup defeat and Lukas Engel now dropped after his shambolic showing in the tie.
But with Middlesbrough having won just two Championship fixtures so far in 2024/25 – the same as Stoke – a close game is expected when the two teams kick off at 3pm on Saturday.
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Middlesbrough told major Stoke City weakness
While Steve Gibson is sticking with Carrick despite the slow start, Stoke have already made a change in the dugout this term.
Steven Schumacher was sacked after just nine months in charge and has since been replaced in the dugout by Narcis Pelach.
Pelach watched on as his side were beaten 3-1 by Hull City on Friday and, as per Stoke Live, has now spoken about his new side’s biggest weakness – their inability to come from behind after conceding first.
He said: “I saw a lot of frustration. When something bad happens to the team like a goal against I saw the team losing composure because we were fine defending the space, organised, solid. Ok, you can have the ball in front of us.
“But then after the goal, I saw the team take a knock mentally and that’s something we have to address quickly. We have to talk because one thing is to play with emotion and energy and try to build something in that direction, but another is to lose control. We have to find the balance.
“We have to make them conscious about it. We have to talk. I will only look from two days ago but it’s my job. I don’t think the game was that bad. It’s difficult to come here and say that after we’ve lost 3-1 at home.
“The first and second goals we gave them the chance because it was our mistake. We should have just played wide with the ball. Then the third one is because our heads are not in the right place. We have to get better, we have to be much more composed and readdress that.”
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Why Stoke problem is perfect for Middlesbrough
Pelach’s comments are exactly what Carrick and his Boro players will want to hear going into the weekend’s game.
One major problem the North East outfit have faced recently is that every time they have a positive spell and score, they then sit back, let their heads drop and invite the opposition back into the game.
We saw this in the 1-1 draw with Preston North End earlier in September and against Portsmouth last month.
However, if Boro score first on Saturday, as they often do under Carrick, they should finally be able to keep hold of a lead as Pelach’s team should hopefully drop mentally and open the door to more goals.
The Teessiders have the highest xG in the Championship this season but struggle to put away their chances.
This is in part because Middlesbrough are often forced to work hard to try and break teams down but if Stoke’s players lose their heads after going behind, it should be much easier for the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath and Tommy Conway to pile on their misery.