Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick can learn a number of valuable lessons from Gareth Southgate’s stint as England boss.
Middlesbrough legend Gareth Southgate took charge of his final game as England manager on July 14th.
The Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2024 but were beaten 2-1 by Spain, continuing their long wait for another trophy.
Following the final, it was confirmed on July 16th that Southgate has stepped down from his role as England boss.
Southgate will always be a divisive figure among the national team fanbase, but there were plenty of positives from his time in charge, even with a lack of silverware.
Southgate guided England to their first World Cup semi-final since 1990 back in 2018.
He also took England to their first European Championship final in 2021 and has won more knockout games than any other manager in the role.
With this in mind, Boro News have taken a look at three things Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick can learn from Southgate’s time with England.
Middlesbrough striker problem
Harry Kane did not cover himself in glory during the most recent European Championship tournament.
The forward looked well off the pace for much of his time on the pitch and was often replaced by Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney.
Both Toney and Watkins improved the team when they came on and were crucial in England’s comebacks during the knockout phase.
At present, Emmanuel Latte Lath is Middlesbrough’s main striker but outside of him, there is little quality.
As a result, Carrick should look to sign another striker in the 2024 window to ensure there is adequate backup for Latte Lath in 2024/25.
Middlesbrough should put faith in young players
One thing Southgate did well with England was bring new talent into the first-team squad.
Euro 2024 was a great example of this. Previously key players like Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford were left at home.
Instead, Southgate opted to select and hand minutes to rising stars like Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze, and Kobbie Mainoo.
Middlesbrough have a plethora of quality academy talent already at the club and Carrick should look to integrate them into the first-team squad.
Law McCabe made his first start at the end of 2023/24 and he, along with Sonny Finch, could be a key player at Boro in the coming campaign if given a chance.
Michael Carrick must improve against top teams
One thing Southgate struggled to do while with England was compete against the top sides.
The Three Lions saw off a struggling Germany at Euro 2020 and were helped out by a questionable penalty decision when they beat the Netherlands 2-1 this summer.
But outside of those two wins, England failed to beat any of the big teams at major tournaments, losing to France, Italy, Spain, and Croatia.
Middlesbrough endured a similarly tough time against the top-three Championship clubs in 2023/24.
They beat Leicester City but failed to pick up wins over Ipswich Town and Leeds United.
If Boro are to win promotion in 2024/25, they need to improve their record against the better teams in the division.