'Reality' - Michael Carrick believes Middlesbrough are well placed to do something special
Trips to Deepdale will always bring about an element of reflection for as long as Michael Carrick is in charge at Middlesbrough - though it’s fair to say the head coach’s two prior visits haven’t exactly gone to plan.
It was, of course, away to Preston North End in October 2022 that Carrick managed his very first Boro match. Not befitting the highs that would soon follow that season, a last-minute goal meant Boro left empty-handed that day. On Valentine’s Day last year, a 2-1 defeat saw Carrick’s side slump into the bottom half of the table, while injuries to Hayden Hackney and Jonny Howson were costly in the longer-term too.
Nevertheless, trips to Deepdale aside, there have been plenty of highs in Carrick’s 26 months in charge of Boro and, sitting fifth placed ahead of Saturday’s visit, and making a real push in this month’s transfer window, Carrick is hoping that there are more memories on the horizon.
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“Talking about journeys… my first memory is the coach driver parking the bus halfway down the street and we had to get out and walk! So thanks for that Fish, if you’re listening!” Carrick joked when asked of his memories of that first game in charge.
“But seriously, a lot has gone on and changed in that time. A lot of ups and downs and great moments that we’ve shared. Hopefully there are many more to come. We’ve learned along the way and I think we’ve all improved.
“There have been bumps in the road, but I think we’ve largely improved. We find ourselves in a really good position at this stage of the season to hopefully make something even more special become a reality.”
While Boro are well-placed and will hope to secure a second straight win for the first time since November, Preston are not to be underestimated, with their league position perhaps a bit of a false picture. Paul Heckingbottom’s side sit 16th in the table, but they’ve only lost eight games this season - and only two on home turf, the last of which was back on November 2.
“Preston are a really good team and Paul knows how to make it difficult - they did that for us in the reverse fixture [a 1-1 draw],” Carrick said. “They’ve had some really good results recently, especially at home, and are dangerous. They get a lot of players across the frontline and make you defend the box.
“It’s a fast attack which we have to be ready for, they get a lot of crosses in and we have to deal with that. They'll want to put us on the back foot. They’ve got their strengths, we’ve got ours, and we need to make sure we come out on top. How we do that, we’ll keep to ourselves and hope to exploit it on Saturday!
“We know we’re capable of scoring goals. They defend by closing spaces very well and found that out in the home game against them when we couldn’t quite win the game. We have an idea of what to expect and we’ll try to exploit that. There is never an easy game in this league, but this is a tough one.”
For their part, Heckingbottom has expressed his admiration for Boro’s style ahead of the game too - suggesting he sees Carrick’s side as one of the best attacking units in the division on their day.
The Lilywhites boss said: “I think I've said before how good I think Boro are in terms of when they get forward. When they get it right, they’re probably one of the teams who create the most chances through the specific way that they play.
“I'm expecting it to be a really good, entertaining, hard, hard game. We've got to get a lot of things right with and without the ball. It's a game I'm looking forward to, the players are, and I'm sure the fans are as well.”