Middlesbrough, on the other hand, have invariably found a way to lose. If ‘winning ugly’ has been Sheffield United’s mantra as they have forced their way into an automatic-promotion spot, ‘losing prettily’ has become Boro’s calling card as they have found themselves out of the play-off places.
Some of the Teessiders’ football this season has been superb, but in a number of matches, they have ended up with nothing despite being dominant. In others, they have played poorly and failed to scramble their way to at least a point, a failing that means when they head to Bramall Lane tonight, they will do so a mammoth 20 points behind their opponents. Are the Blades 20 points better than Boro? In terms of performance level, almost certainly not. But they know how to win. And in a league as relentless and competitive as the Championship, that counts for a lot.
“It’s pretty obvious that we haven’t picked enough points up,” admitted Boro boss Michael Carrick, who spent most of yesterday’s pre-match press conference trying to walk a fine line between acknowledging his side’s failings while also expressing his clearly-held belief that, fundamentally, they are not doing a lot wrong. “We have to accept that.
“Whether that’s from games when we’ve been in good positions or games where we haven’t been at our best, but we still have to find a way of getting something, the points haven’t been there. Ultimately, that dictates where you are in the league.
“Largely, when you look at the performance levels, we feel like we should have got a few more points, but ultimately that doesn’t matter. It’s all about what points are actually on the table.
“We do think that if we maintain the level of performance, or improve it, then that’s going to give you a better chance of getting to where you want to get to, but there will always be games where you just have to have the confidence that you’re going to get something no matter what. We’ve got to find that way of accumulating points. That’s where we need to get to.”
READ MORE:
Two years ago almost to the day, Boro produced arguably the best performance of Carrick’s tenure at Bramall Lane as Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer scored in a 3-1 win that suggested the Teessiders were capable of overhauling Sheffield United in the fight for automatic promotion.
Ultimately, it was the Blades that finished in the top two, with Boro losing in the play-offs, but the February success nevertheless formed part of a run of 11 wins in 13 matches that transformed Carrick’s side’s fortunes. It goes without saying that a similar spring run this year would be most welcome.
“As much as I don’t like elements of the way the season has gone – we want more points and we want to be better – I do take a massive amount of encouragement from what we can do and what is possible,” said Carrick. “Listen, we’ve got to go and do it. We’ve got to earn it and prove it. It’s all in front of us. But it gives us a lot of belief to know what might be in front of us if we keep doing the right things.
“The potential is there, and this league, for whatever reason, does that. Every season, from top to bottom, you seem teams going on crazy runs, both ways, with both types of form. Sometimes, it’s difficult to put your finger on why that happens. But we’ll give it everything, and we’re capable of some very good performances.”
Middlesbrough (probable, 4-2-3-1): Travers; Ayling, van den Berg, Edmundson, Giles; Morris, Hackney; Whittaker, Azaz, Burgzorg; Conway.
