Ayling, Clarke, Latte Lath - Middlesbrough stars push to start as Carrick faces tough decisions

Michael Carrick will face some tough selection dilemmas this weekend as he decides whether to stick or twist with his Middlesbrough side for the visit of recent foe Coventry City.

Boro go into the game on the back of two games without a loss, but they should probably have two consecutive wins. They surrendered a two-goal lead on Sunday at Norwich City and had to settle for a point. Despite the late collapse, it was generally a solid away performance from Boro with a lot of positives to take.

That begs the question, does Carrick stick of twist? There will be numerous Boro players who didn't start at Carrow Road who will be desperate to this weekend for Coventry's visit. We take a look at the big selection decisions Carrick faces.

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The right-back dilemma after past 'harsh' decision

Carrick sprung a surprise at Norwich when he brought Anfernee Dijksteel into the starting line-up. It was a decision that appeared part-inspired by the game being the third in a week, and also that Norwich's danger man Borja Sainz would be facing up with the Boro right-back.

Sainz scored twice against Boro, though neither were the fault of Dijksteel. In general, he had a really good game, which included his crucial role in starting and finishing the attack for Boro's second goal. The positive performance continued what has been a solid season for the Suriname international, having previously struggled for much impact since Carrick's arrival.

Norwich was his first start since the victory over Stoke City, after which he was dropped for the returning Rav van den Berg in a decision Carrick conceded was 'harsh'. Ayling remains an important player for Carrick because of his experience and nous at the back, but can Carrick make that same 'harsh' decision on Dijksteel again?

Matt Clarke itching to be back

An injury to Matt Clarke saw him lose his place in the team for that aforementioned Stoke City victory and though he's been back in the squad since the Watford trip, he's been unable to get back into the starting line-up. That's despite the fact that he was probably among Boro's best players this season pre-injury.

The reason he hasn't been able to get back in is due to the form of Van den Berg and George Edmundson. The pair have played so well of late and are both so comfortable in playing in the way that Carrick wants his centre-backs to. They conceded three at Norwich though and will need to tighten up against Coventry. Does Carrick find a way to get Clarke back into the side?

Howson's nous

With Jonny Howson so far missing the majority of the season through injury, Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris have established an excellent partnership in Boro's central midfield. Boro regularly control games through possession and territory, and this is largely thanks to how well the midfield pair have complemented one another.

However, Norwich wasn't the first time that Boro lost control of a match. Perhaps with a bit of fatigue kicking in, Boro looked to be lacking a little nous in the spine of their team to help manage the game better. That Howson only came on after Norwich had scored their equaliser was frustrating.

Should Carrick find a way to get Howson back into the Boro side? Particularly in games like this one where a bit of an experienced head might be considered handy, there's a fair argument for it. But dropping Hackney or Morris right now is no easy decision.

Latte Lath's hunger

The striker failed to make much of an impact when he came off the bench at Norwich, compared to his match-winning intervention a few days earlier against Sheffield United. That goal led many to believe Carrick might get Emmanuel Latte Lath straight back into the team, but the Boro boss kept faith in Finn Azaz and Tommy Conway, and it's fair to say that paid off. Both scored goals at Carrow Road.

Latte Lath will be really hungry to regain his place as he attempts to finally kickstart his campaign, hopefully using that Sheffield United goal for momentum. Even after scoring against Norwich, there's a fair argument that Latte Lath could maybe start ahead of Azaz, but it would mean dropping Conway back into the ten role when he did so well at Norwich on the last shoulder. Will Carrick be ruthless to get Latte Lath back in, or will he keep his trust in Azaz and Conway?

Fatigue consideration

One final thing Carrick will no doubt consider when making his selection for this game is the two that follow. Though they've had six days to prepare for Coventry, the game is the start of another three-game week for Boro—and their recent record of such should give Carrick some food for thought.

In the third game of their last two three-game weeks (Watford and Norwich) Boro have collapsed late and surrendered commanding positions in games. It suggests there might be a potential fatigue issue that Carrick has to manage a little better. Whether that means making better use of the squad with more lineup rotation, or whether that just means being a bit more proactive with the subs being made in-game, it definitely feels like something to be conscious of.