Middlesbrough beat Swansea City 1-0 in their Championship opener but it was not a perfect display.
Michael Carrick and Boro have a history of starting their seasons on the backfoot.
The Teessiders failed to win their opening five games of the previous campaign, which cost them a place in the playoffs – missing out on the top six by just four points.
In fact, prior to the 2024/25 Championship season, Boro had failed to win their opening 10 games of a campaign.
However, that dismal record was finally put to bed on August 10th when Middlesbrough beat Swansea City 1-0.
Boro started the tie at the Riverside Stadium very well, completely dominating the away outfit in the opening 20 minutes.
Isaiah Jones was a standout performer for Middlesbrough and won a penalty for his side in the 24th minute.
Emmanuel Latte Lath stepped up to convert it, opening his account for the new campaign as he aims to beat his 16-goal tally from the previous year.
However, after going 1-0 up, the North East outfit’s dominance faded, with Luke Williams’ side putting a lot of pressure on late in the game.
With this in mind, Boro News have taken a look at three issues Carrick must fix after their opening weekend win against Swansea.
Defence remains weak area for Middlesbrough
A clean sheet and three points it about as much as a manager can ask for in an opening game of a season.
But even though they were able to keep Swansea out on Saturday, it is clear Middlesbrough still have defensive issues.
Boro ended 2023/24 with just one loss in 12, but that was largely down to their superb attacking threat.
In their final eight league matches of the previous season, Middlesbrough managed just two shutouts.
Had Swansea possessed a more clinical threat over the weekend, they probably would have scored.
The Teessiders gifted them far too many chances through their poor passing and insistence on playing out from the back.
Derby County and Portsmouth are up next for the club but once Carrick and co. start facing some more established Championship teams, it is clear they need to fix their sloppy defensive work.
Middlesbrough lacked a threat down Riley McGree flank vs Swansea
As already mentioned, Jones put on an impressive display for the Teessiders over the weekend.
However, had it not been for the quality of Jones down the right, Boro would have struggled to create too many chances.
Riley McGree started on the left-wing, being supported by Lukas Engel at left-back.
The latter created a couple of openings early on but apart from that, Middlesbrough’s threat down the left was nonexistent.
McGree has previously excelled for the Reds when working alongside Ryan Giles, and Carrick must now work on improving the Australian’s connection with Engel.
Finn Azaz continues to frustrate at Middlesbrough
When Middlesbrough signed Finn Azaz in January 2024, big things were expected of the attacking midfielder who had dominated the Championship with Plymouth Argyle.
However, the midfielder is still yet to truly find his best form at the Riverside.
Azaz’s struggles were on full display against Swansea on Saturday. The 23-year-old wasted several chances throughout the 90 minutes with some poor decision-making.
His connection, or lack there of, with Latte Lath is also a concern as the midfielder created very little for the Ivorian.
Azaz has already shown he is a quality Championship player but Carrick has to change something if he is to get the best out of Boro’s number 10.