Eric Paylor makes a case for Middlesbrough’s defence as they receive a welcome boost.
Dael Fry and Rav van den Berg’s immediate impact on injury recovery, combined with Darragh Lenihan’s upcoming return, puts Middlesbrough in a stronger defensive position than they have been in for some time.
In fact, Michael Carrick may believe that his defensive choices are better than they have been since his arrival on Teesside. The fact that Matt Clarke was pushed aside by Fry after his heroics at the conclusion of last season and early this season demonstrates the power of those choices.
Rav van den Berg then returned to the fray against Millwall, and both Clarke and Fry were forced to settle for bench spots, however Fry’s spot may have been due to his recent attack of illness. It’s odd that Carrick has such high regard for Fry, given that the Middlesbrough-born midfielder was immediately reinserted into the squad once he was deemed fully fit.
Dael has already developed a good rapport with George Edmundson, who is a contender for player of the season thus far. Both centre backs are conventional, no-nonsense stoppers. I don’t think either man is exactly suited to receiving the ball in front of their own goal from Seny Dieng’s throws, but it is still the game plan.
The Boro must now make the most of the defensive opportunities available to them. Boro’s previous clean sheet before Saturday was in mid-October. Even at this level, that is a long time between shutouts. Yes, we understand that Boro is a pressing squad that believes it can score more than it concedes. Boro, on the other hand, failed to score against Blackburn and lost that game, before being held at Burnley thanks to Connor Roberts’ tricky lob shot.
Dieng was likely too far off his line at the moment, but the shot was ultimately judged on perception. Nonetheless, Boro missed out on a spectacular triumph. So a few clean sheets along the way would be greatly appreciated by everyone, especially because this top-six competition appears to be tougher than ever.
In any case, Boro must win games in order to reduce the gap between the fifth and sixth play-off spots and qualify for automatic promotion. Boro currently has a lot going for them, not just because of the steady increase in defensive numbers, but also because they have an attack that can explode with goals in the perfect situation.
While Edmundson has been a contender for player of the season thus far, goal machine Tommy Conway is one of his key competitors for the coveted award. The former Bristol City striker possesses all of the characteristics of a quality goalscorer, owing to his unwavering determination to make things happen for himself and his teammates.
He enjoys getting the ball in tight circumstances and is always willing to take on defenders to create an opportunity for himself. Conway is potentially Boro’s best permanent signing under Carrick. It has undoubtedly helped that his fellow Scottish international, Ben Doak, has swiftly fit into the team and is supplying some of the ammunition.
Doak is one of those players who fill seats because we admire his upbeat attitude and willingness to get the ball into dangerous areas. He is starting to recognise his teammates, which will aid players like Conway, Emmanuel Latte Lath, and Finn Azaz.
Boro have enough ammunition to finish in the top six. It is up to them to make it count. It is up to Fry and Co. to make life as simple as possible for those on the other end by keeping the ball out of their own net as much as possible.
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