Middlesbrough transfer clamour increases as Leeds United defeat makes promotion task very tough

Middlesbrough slipped 10 points behind Leeds United as they lost 3-1 at Elland Road on an evening when fine margins in football were highlighted.

Wilfried Gnonto, Dan James and Brenden Aaronson scored the Leeds goals, with the decisive two coming in the final 16 minutes after Max Wober had inadvertently headed Boro level from a corner.

Leeds were good value for their money but in a stronger second half, Boro could have easily got something from the game after their equaliser. These are the main talking points emerging from the game.

READ MORE: Fine margins for Middlesbrough as biggest area for improvement after Leeds United highlighted

READ MORE: 'Big' Middlesbrough penalty claim against Leeds United put under the microscope

Increased transfer clamour

As January draws ever closer, every game is watched with a little eye on January and where, if anywhere, Boro could do with improving in the transfer window. As we know, their squad is currently at its maximum and signings can only really be made if players leave first, because Boro won’t want to pay a player who isn’t registered and therefore can’t play.

Defeat at Leeds will no doubt only increase the clamour for Ryan Giles among many supporters - a player who excelled in the Boro setup and who, 18 months since his exit, is still yet to be adequately replaced.

Neto Borges was the fourth left-back Boro have signed since Giles’s successful loan came to an end, with the position proving such a difficulty for recruitment staff to fill. Borges has, in the main, looked Boro’s best since Giles, but he struggled at Leeds.

He struggled to contain Dan James on the night - though in his defence, much like Ben Doak in the Boro side, most Championship left-backs will struggle with such a task. All it does really is highlight how the Brazilian still hasn’t really cemented that spot emphatically. It’s not so much the defensive side of his game that’s been the biggest issue. Largely steady in that regard, in the main, he just hasn’t quite delivered from an attacking perspective as Boro might have hoped.

It’s no secret that Boro tried to re-sign Giles in the summer. Negotiations at one point were progressing positively and a Riverside return appeared likely. In the end, however, after a difficult summer, Hull decided they couldn’t allow Giles to leave for a rival, more so because of how it would be perceived than anything else.

But as January comes around, with Giles not currently a Hull regular, and Boro feeling like they’d benefit from having the 24-year-old back, the clamour to see Boro test the resolve of the Tigers again will likely grow.

Dan Barlaser’s biggest issue

Barlaser has enjoyed a decent run in the team of late, and has largely done well. The Leeds game was one which encapsulated the more difficult side of his Boro career, however, which is approaching its two-year anniversary.

Not solely guilty, but Barlaser was part of a midfield which was completely overrun by Leeds, as Boro struggled for much control in the game. Sloppy passing was partly to blame, and Barlaser was certainly guilty of that throughout. His early mistake gifted James a chance and Boro didn’t really ever recover from there.

It wasn’t just the sloppy passing though, Leeds played through Boro with speed throughout, particularly in the first half. It looked too easy at times as Sky sports pundit Lee Hendrie described Daniel Farke’s attacking quality as ‘frightening’.

That about sums up one of Barlaser’s biggest problems in a Boro shirt - his ability to command games like that one. Such a technically gifted ball-player, he’s elegant when Boro are in control and he can play to a slower tempo. But when sides hit Boro with speed and intent, Barlaser is so often too easy to bypass.

A game of fine margins

For all Leeds were the better side overall and deserved their victory, it highlighted how much football is a game of fine margins. On another night, this one could have gone a very different way.

Boro ultimately gifted Leeds the win in the end, with the manner of the two later goals they conceded. It was doubly frustrating because it came after a really good start to the second half where Boro quickly got back on level terms and were pushing for a potential winner of their own. Home fans were starting to get a little restless when Boro ultimately offered Leeds the encouragement they needed to flip the momentum and win the game.

As Michael Carrick pointed out after though, Boro were looking in a strong position to at least get a draw, or potentially even go and win it, after their equaliser. The Ben Doak opportunity just before Leeds’s second was a huge moment. To be fair to Doak, it looked like excellent goalkeeping from Illan Meslier, who was quickly off his line to smother the Boro forward.

There were other promising openings too, though on the night, Boro just lacked the clinical edge to create many clear-cut chances. At 1-1 though, it could have come from anything and before conceding with 16 minutes remaining, they were more than in with a chance.

All of that is without mentioning the first half penalty claim for Riley McGree too which, in real time didn’t look like much - or feel like much given the rather muted appeals from Boro. But replays showed he beat Joe Rodon to the ball before being clipped. As Tommy Smith, working for Sky on the night, said, if that’s in the Premier League, it’s reviewed by VAR and given. Who knows where the game goes from there.

Ultimately, that’s fine margins in football and an area where Boro can perhaps learn from and improve. They had the momentum in their favour and weren’t ruthless enough to make it count. Leeds were, and that’s ultimately why the two sides are where they are in the table right now.

Promotion task gets tougher

Speaking of which, as far as fine margins are concerned, the overall picture in the Championship after this game is a fine example of that. In losing to Leeds United, Boro fell 10 points behind the Whites, having only taken a point at Burnley too.

These were always going to be two tough away games to play consecutively and while Boro can take a lot of heart from them, the harsh reality is their hopes of automatic promotion are already looking slim. Bearing in mind how good Leeds were, it already feels like a monumental task to make up that deficit.

How different it would have felt if Boro had turned the fine margins in their favour and beaten Leeds - thus narrowing the gap to just four points. In truth, the last two games aren’t to blame for the position Boro find themselves in. That’s thanks to the silly dropped points earlier in the season.

Regardless of whether a top-two finish is slipping or not, all Boro can really do now is focus on themselves. Pre-Burnley and Leeds they looked one of the form sides in the Championship and proved more than capable of beating anyone on their day. They must make it that day far more often than not between now and May and, even if it’s the play-offs rather than automatics, they’ll have a good chance if they can carry good form into them.