It has been a mixed start to the 2024/25 Championship season for Michael Carrick and his Middlesbrough players.
Boro kicked off their campaign in style, beating Swansea City 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium to end a run of 10 years without a win on the opening weekend.
However, the Teessiders’ form took a nosedive after that victory, with Middlesbrough losing 1-0 to Derby County.
This shock defeat has been followed by a number of worrying displays including in the 2-2 draw with Portsmouth and the 1-1 draw with Preston North End.
Prior to the October international break, Middlesbrough did appear to have clicked into gear, beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 and Stoke City 2-0.
However, Middlesbrough lost 2-1 to Watford in their last Championship outing, seeing them drop down to ninth in the league table.
With Michael Carrick and co. having promotion aspirations this term it has not been a great start but there are still plenty of positives to take away from Boro’s first nine league games of 2024/25.
Middlesbrough had a much better start compared to 2023/24
Middlesbrough ended the 2023/24 campaign sat four points adrift of the play-off places.
Several factors were to blame for the North East outfit missing out on the top-six but one was clearly their awful start.
After the first five Championship games of last season, Boro had failed to win any matches – drawing two and losing three.
Their two-point total from said run was beaten on the opening weekend against Swansea, with Middlesbrough going on to take eight points from their first five Championship results this time around.
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Middlesbrough are creating plenty of chances and the goals will come
One problem Boro have faced this term is their inability to kill games off when they are dominating or in front.
We saw this against Watford when they blew a 1-0 lead in the second half and in several other games this season.
At present, no Middlesbrough player has scored more than two goals in the Championship in 2024/25.
However, according to Fbref, the Reds have produced the most shot-creating actions in the second tier this term (279) and the most shot-creating actions per 90 (31).
Given the amount of quality in Boro’s attack, it is no doubt only a matter of time before those chances start being converted to goals.
Ben Doak is only just getting started at Middlesbrough
Another huge positive for Middlesbrough this season has been the form of summer addition, Ben Doak.
The Scotland international has only started three league games since his late loan move from Liverpool but is already excelling.
Doak has created the most chances per 90 in the Championship in 2024/25, with an average of 3.36.
And now the 18-year-old has firmly established himself as Middlesbrough’s starting right-winger, he is sure to help the club start picking up wins on a more consistent basis.