Michael Carrick: 'This is what will determine where we finish in the league'
MICHAEL CARRICK claims the Boxing Day draw with Sheffield Wednesday was Middlesbrough’s season in microcosm, but is confident his side can iron out their flaws in the second half of the campaign.
Boro played some of their best attacking football of the season as they stormed into a three-goal lead in the first half against the Owls, but things unravelled spectacularly after the break as Rav van den Berg was dismissed and they conceded three goals in the space of 14 chaotic minutes to throw away two points.
At various stages this season, the Teessiders have looked like one of the best teams in the league. However, at others, they have been far too easy to unpick. As a result, Carrick’s mid-season assessment is mixed.
“It’s been an interesting season so far,” said the Boro boss, whose side kick off 2025 with a New Year’s Day trip to Humberside to take on Hull City. “There’s been a lot to take in.
“We’ve done some really fantastic things, and had some really good moments. But maybe the Sheffield Wednesday game summed things up in some ways.
“For half-and-hour or 35 minutes, I thought we were absolutely fantastic, and that’s how good we can be. It was probably as good as we’ve played. But then we had the 15-minute spell where it didn’t go our way, and we ended up not getting what we should have got from the game. It’s been a little bit like that right through the season.”
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The challenge now is to add some consistency in the second half of the campaign. Boro are well placed heading into the new year, sitting in sixth position despite having won just ten of their 24 league games.
However, hopes of finishing in the top two have all but disappeared given the 12-point gap currently separating the Teessiders from second-placed Sheffield United, and the battle for the top six looks like being as competitive as ever, meaning Boro cannot afford too many more slip-ups in the remainder of the season.
“I think some of the performances have been really, really top in terms of this level,” said Carrick. “But then there have been others where we haven’t got enough from the games that we should have won, and then other times where we’ve been a bit inconsistent.
“You’ve got to take a balanced view, really, but I’m largely encouraged because our level, when it’s good, is very, very good. We’re capable of that, and we know that.
“That’s encouraging. But it’s about finding the little bits of details to enable us to tighten up when we have to do, and that, ultimately, will probably decide where we end up in the league.”
