Michael Carrick will prepare his Middlesbrough side for the visit of in-form Norwich City on Wednesday evening, hoping they can secure their first home league win of 2024.
The Riverside has by no means been the fortress supporters would have hoped for this season. Having suffered eight defeats at home already this campaign, Carrick will be keen to get back on track and have a strong final 12 games, even though it appears that any dreams of reaching the play-offs look to have been extinguished by their erratic results of late.
That mini revival starts with Norwich, who still harbour ambitions of promotion themselves and lay just one point off 6th spot under the guidance of David Wagner.
How Middlesbrough will approach the game
In terms of how Middlesbrough will line up, it is increasingly unlikely that Carrick will deviate from the 4-2-3-1 set-up that has been a mainstay since his arrival around a year and a half ago. It is unfair to suggest though, that he is not capable of out-maneuvering his opposite number, he has done so on numerous occasions by switching up his approach. Particularly against Leicester City and in the cup games against Premier League opposition, he has turned to a wing-back system. That served them well, mainly because the onus was on the other side to take the game to Carrick’s men, allowing them to counter and take advantage.
Although Norwich are to be respected, the game is at the Riverside and so we can expect Middlesbrough to approach it positively and look to win the game. Confidence could be a key factor in that approach being successful. The Boro boss insists that his side are full of belief, but in football we all know that winning breeds a special kind of confidence and swagger. With only two wins in eight attempts, some individuals in a Middlesbrough shirt are struggling somewhat.
The temptation to ring the changes may prove too alluring for Carrick who has had to watch on as his charges have succumbed to Plymouth and Stoke. Shipping four goals and failing to register in the last two games has seen the frustration levels soar amongst the Middlesbrough faithful and now the North East side are nervously looking over their shoulder, just six points above the drop zone.
Luke Thomas and Dan Barlaser could be replaced
Luke Thomas and Dan Barlaser are two players who are suffering a loss of form at the moment and could be in jeopardy of losing their place. Leicester loanee Thomas, 22, has been given the opportunity to settle into the side since arriving, but the circumstances have not been the best given the side’s current performance level. He has been culpable of giving the ball away too easily in the last two games. According to Sofascore, he lost possession 13 times against Stoke City and could be replaced for this fixture by Lukas Engel.
Barlaser has suffered some heavy-albeit justifiable-criticism from fans of late and could do with being taken out of the firing line. He nearly cost his side a goal on Saturday, dwelling too long on the ball in his own area.
The trouble Carrick has with the form of Barlaser, is that the depth in central midfield has not been there in recent weeks due to injuries to Hayden Hackney and captain Jonny Howson. That has seen Lewis O’Brien and Barlaser occupy the midfield berths. So, as far as Barlaser being selected, it will be dependent on whether Howson is able to resume or not. He is back around the group and will be assessed before the game.
Middlesbrough have missed that Howson, Hackney axis in the middle of the park, and supporters will have to wait a little longer for their partnership to be reformed, with Hackney still a number of weeks away.
Winger won’t be rushed
Another player who could return though is Isaiah Jones. Again, his impact has been sorely missed down that right-hand side, but with Marcus Forss able to deputise, the expectation is that Jones will not be risked too early and could feature on the substitutes bench even if declared fit.
Dael Fry, Josh Coburn, Alex Bangura, Darragh Lenihan and Tommy Smith are all still unavailable. With it being a two-game week, Paddy McNair could return to the fold at centre-back at the expense of Matt Clarke and Sam Greenwood could make way for play-maker Finn Azaz.
The Middlesbrough line-up we expect to see is…
GK – Seny Dieng
LB – Lukas Engel
RB – Luke Ayling
CB – Rav van den Berg
CB – Paddy McNair
CM – Jonny Howson
CM – Lewis O’Brien
LW – Riley McGree
RW – Marcus Forss
CAM – Finn Azaz
ST – Emmanuel Latte Lath