Middlesbrough’s win against Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup will have pleased boss Michael Carrick in terms of character shown. A number of individual performances will have also given him plenty to ponder before Saturday’s trip to Coventry.
There is no doubt, the Boro boss (and most fans) will want to banish any memory of the performance against Millwall where they continued their ghastly opening day record, losing one-nil.
They managed to do that to an extent against Huddersfield, despite an early howler presenting the Terriers with an easy opener. Boro responded by scoring three goals in the game.
That was after Huddersfield had a player sent off in the first half for bringing down Isaiah Jones when the wide man broke through on goal. Jones-who has had to watch Marcus Forss take his place on the right-hand side-had a lively game and looked a brighter, more confident version of the player who suffered a dip in form last season.
The interesting thing with Jones and Forss, is that they are both very direct players, but with a different approach to the game. Marcus Forss chipped in with eleven goals from the right last season. An excellent return. His game is all about driving inside and getting a shot away, or trying to make runs inside the box to get on the end of phases of play.
Isaiah Jones
Isaiah Jones is the epitome of a tricky winger, who loves to jink and trick his way around defenders. Jones showed last night a very important facet of his game that seems to have alluded him during periods last season. He was making runs from deep in behind the defence, his pace is frightening and when you have a player like Hackney or Barlaser who can thread that pass, he is a useful weapon to have.
That is exactly what happened last night, Barlaser threaded the ball through, Jones got the wrong side of the last man, and he had no option but to stop the 24-year-old, earning himself a red card in the process.
Jones still managed to get his reward though, scoring with the same kind of run inside off the shoulder of the defender, prodding home past an onrushing keeper.
Sami Silvera
The tricky winger may have played himself into Carrick’s thoughts for Saturday, especially given that they have a very similar option that is playing equally as well on the opposite flank in Sami Silvera.
The new arrival from the A-League in Australia has set pulses racing with a very assured start in Middlesbrough colours. He impressed from the bench on Saturday and started against Huddersfield, scoring with a clean strike that hit both posts before hitting the net.
In Jones and Silvera, Boro have two very skillful wide men, who can both beat a man and get a goal. The balance would also be a benefit the side as in previous games, McGree and Forss are always likely to drift infield.
If Boro can accommodate Riley McGree-who himself is a vital component of the side-in the number ten spot, they could play Jones and Silvera in the same team. It is surely an option Carrick is considering.
Martin Payero was another who will have benefited from more game time. He was not as instrumental as Silvera and Jones, but he will need to learn the way Carrick’s team play and last night will have given him more experience in that sense.
Rav van den Berg started and unfortunately was at fault for the first goal. He tried to play out from inside his own area but gave the ball straight to former Boro man Jordan Rhodes, who passed for team mate Harratt to score. Nevertheless, despite van den Berg’s tender years, he shrugged it off and composed himself for the remainder of the game, which will have pleased Carrick.
Morgan Rogers worked tirelessly but is still very much undergoing his number nine education. It will be interesting to see whether the head coach agrees with calls for McGree to play behind him, thus accommodating Silvera on the left