Middlesbrough have had a mixed opening to the 2024/25 Championship campaign.
With the September international break now upon us, it is a good to to assess how Middlesbrough have fared so far this season.
Michael Carrick will have been keen to avoid a repeat of 2023/24 when Boro failed to win any of their opening five league matches.
And while the Teessiders have achieved that with two wins from four Championship fixtures, most fans will probably agree it could have gone slightly better.
Middlesbrough beat Swansea City 1-0 on the opening weekend before suffering a shock loss to Derby County and drawing 2-2 with Portsmouth.
The Noth East outfit got back to winning ways this past weekend though, seeing off Cardiff City by two goals to nil.
Now, with another week to go until club football returns, we take a look at Middlesbrough’s two highest-rated, and two lowest-rated players in the Championship so far this season (who’ve played two games or more).
Matt Clarke and Anfernee Dijksteel are the highest-rated Middlesbrough players
The inclusion of Matt Clarke among Boro’s highest-rated players will come as little surprise to fans.
The centre-back has been a rock at the back despite having to deal with an injury crisis unfolding around him.
One EFL pundit said Clarke is the ‘most underrated’ defender in the Championship after he scored against Cardiff last week to become Middlesbrough’s top scorer heading into the break.
Sofascore have certainly not underrated the stopper, though, as he has a 7.65 rating after four fixtures.
What will come as a surprise to the Boro faithful, however, is the fact Anfernee Dijksteel is the highest-rated Middlesbrough player this term (7.80).
The right-back has been brought back into the starting lineup after Luke Ayling was forced to fill in at centre-back.
He has since started two games in a row and despite Boro conceding twice in one of them, he is rated very high on the list.
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Delano Burgzorg and Seny Dieng are the lowest-rated Middlesbrough players
On the whole, Middlesbrough as a squad have looked solid this season, with defensive errors the only real issue for Carrick to deal with.
One man who has contributed to those errors is Seny Dieng. Dominic Shaw was baffled by the Middlesbrough goalkeeper after his display in the 2-2 draw with Portsmouth.
And while Dieng has looked better in other matches this campaign, he is the lowest-rated Boro player with a rating of 6.73.
The second-lowest-rated player is, pretty shockingly, Delano Burgzorg.
The Dutchman has impressed in several games this term but it is probably fair to assume that after Burgzorg struggled up front vs Cardiff, his rating (6.8) took a hit.
Other low-rated Middlesbrough players in the Championship this season include Tommy Conway (6.83) and Micah Hamilton (6.85)