There is no getting away from the less than ideal start to Middlesbrough’s 2023/24 Championship campaign. But will it cause Michael Carrick to deviate from his instantly identifiable style?
Since arriving on Teesside, the Boro head coach has breathed new life into the club, with breathtaking attacking football and a ‘we’ll score more than you’ attitude not seen since the halcyon days of fellow former Manchester United midfield general Bryan Robson.
Carrick had the backing of the whole club fan base last season as his understated, yet hugely successful, approach to winning football matches earned him plenty of plaudits. Not only did he gain respect from his own club’s fans; he also drew admiring glances from football aficionados up and down the country.
He assembled a squad of swashbuckling superstars who sadly ran out of steam towards the end of last season, but not before scoring an impressive 84 goals, the highest total bar one (Burnley).
Poor start
This season though, Boro have laboured to just one point in five league games, scoring just three goals and shipping nine. Of their next five games, four are away from home, with the Boro boss surely looking to make his team a bit more difficult to play against.
The recent form has prompted fans to discuss whether something needs to change. The personnel brought in during the summer transfer window has seen a huge transition in squad dynamics. That is an obvious observation to make, but the question the head coach now has to deal with, is does he temper his approach to matches whilst his young arrivals acclimatise?
One thing is for sure, the club can’t keep losing games in the same manner and the next few encounters will be telling in terms of the season ahead.
Intense media glare as Carrick style falters
Carrick is facing his first mini-crisis at Boro after a faltering start, but you wouldn’t know it from his constant state of calmness. He always exudes an imperturbable tranquility that is most impressive. It would have you believe that nothing will derail his approach, he seems to be so sure of his own ability and the quality of his team.
You would like to think that the way the Boro boss has performed so far and the fact that the club are heading in a very definite new direction with regard to transfers and business off the field, that he will be given all of the time and support necessary. But this is football, and he himself will be desperate to get wins under his belt to avoid the unrelenting, intense media glare that comes with being in charge of an ambitious club.
There is a man who sits beside him in the dugout, who can vouch for the intensity that is felt when things aren’t going your way. Jonathan Woodgate was relieved of his duties in December of 2020 after a string of poor results with him at the helm.
It will be interesting to see if the pair, together with the rest of the backroom staff, come up with an alternative strategy, or whether they just concentrate on tightening up the individual performances within the same formation template that has served them well previously.
Time to implement a plan
After the high profile exits of certain players (we don’t need to document them again) the side is going through a period of augmentation that will hopefully make the club even more successful in the future.
But in terms of executing a plan on the pitch right now, some have suggested that the side needs to have a little more protection. A platform for the flair players to be able to display their swagger without the pressure of a mistake or missed chance being compounded by a fragile defence.
That could mean a more combative approach by bringing in the energy of Lewis O’Brien and putting him into midfield, dropping Howson into a slightly deeper role, screening the back four with greater efficiency.
The switch would also make Boro a more adaptable unit, with Howson more than competent at dropping into CB position when the full-backs get forward. Last season, the three at the back whilst in possession ploy was utilised by the right-back Tommy Smith shuffling across to accommodate Ryan Giles’ forays forward.
It could easily work by using a CDM to drop in instead. The only caveat with such a move and playing three in the middle of the park, is losing someone to play the number ten role, but in Hayden Hackney Boro have a player who could step into that void from central midfield when they have the ball. His attacking play is developing all the time and as we have already seen, he can score goals from advanced areas as well as create them.
Carrick hints at ‘variety’ of style
Playing three forwards up top would also allow the side to be a little bit more direct in their approach, players like Marcus Forss and Isaiah Jones-two players who have Championship nous-have pace and if they were playing a bit closer to Emannuel Latte Lath, it would be a trio that would terrify opposing defenders on the counter and vary the one-pronged approach.
Michael Carrick has recently alluded to a possible change in formation or strategy now that he has players who can operate in different areas.
Speaking to the Gazette Live he said “I think variety is always helpful, without chopping and changing too much.
“We have a clear way in terms of how we want to play with our principles. As individuals, we want to get the best out of the players that we have.”
Referring to the idea that his side could become a victim of their own success, in that teams will target their distinct way of playing, he added “Certainly, I think if you play to a certain level then teams will naturally look to try and stop you. When we play against certain teams we look at ways in which we can stop them. So we understand that, and it’s part of the evolution really as we keep adding different strings to our bow.”
However Carrick goes about his next few games, he will undoubtedly and correctly be given the time he needs to get Boro back to playing the style of football fans were spoiled with last season.