I saw what outstanding Finn Azaz did for Middlesbrough against Luton that he must now emulate

At last Middlesbrough are putting away their chances – and with it comes much-needed hot competition for places. It’s this battle to earn places in the starting line-up which should impact positively on the team’s push for a permanent place in the Championship top six. Most of all, I’m delighted for Finn Azaz, who has had to wait a long time to finally take firm control of Boro’s attacking play.

His outstanding performance against Luton Town was his best yet in a Boro shirt. I’ve insisted for some time that Azaz has the ability to become a big, big player for the Boro. He’s now set himself that high standard which he must endeavour to maintain.

He’s always had a special creative touch but now he’s also on the goals trail again. This was something we were promised when he first arrived here following a steady run of goals with Plymouth Argyle.

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There have been those among us who have suggested that Azaz needs to be moved away from the No 10 role into another position, possibly on the left flank. Yet Azaz has clearly showed enough on and off the training ground for Michael Carrick to keep faith in the Republic of Ireland international as the best man to play behind the striker.

There had been suggestions on social media that Tommy Conway or Emmanuel Latte Lath might be best accommodated in the No 10 role, with the other man operating as an orthodox striker.

This now looks unlikely to happen if Azaz can maintain such a terrific level of form. At the same time, neither Latte Lath nor Conway will enjoy having to start games on the bench. Carrick seems to prefer a system whereby he has no more than the one man playing in a central attacking role though there may yet be opportunities for both men to start games with one of them, or possibly Delano Burgzorg operating on the left flank.

Conway has turned out to be a magnificent signing, especially taking into account the fact that Latte Lath was very slow to get into gear this season. Carrick now has two very good Championship strikers in his squad and faces the best possible decision for a manager on how to keep both men happy, providing they continue to produce these goods.

Latte Lath has never looked better this season than he did against Luton while Conway has already proved the fact that he is settling in nicely after scoring three goals in three games. Now into the melting pot comes Burgzorg following his clinical brace against the Hatters.

The Suriname international might have been expecting a lot more pitch time when he was originally brought in by Carrick during the summer. However, Boro later swooped for Conway, who scored 12 goals for Bristol City last season and was arguably more of a proven player at this level.

As a result, Burgzorg has had to be a little patient. He could hardly have done any more than by hitting the back of the onion bag to stake his claims for a more regular place. This is not a perfect situation for the frontmen as a whole, but it is for Carrick. Now that things are taking off he knows that all the attackers will be desperate to get into the side.

I was a little bit unsure about Boro’s decision to allow Josh Coburn to move on loan to Millwall at the start of the season. Now it all makes sense because Coburn might have found it hard to break into the Boro side this season, while he will eventually come back from Millwall a much stronger and experienced player.

I wish all the best for the Boro front men and look forward to them continuing to bang in the goals to keep Boro in the promotion frame. In this respect, Ben Doak has made a massive difference with his ability to cause chaos with his tremendous forward runs.

Naturally, he is in competition with Isaiah Jones who has always been regarded as a creator in chief on the right flank. At the moment, Doak is winning this battle, hands down. In the middle, the terrific impact made by Aidan Morris means that evergreen skipper Jonny Howson is not getting too much pitch time.

It’s great to know that Boro have unearthed yet another player who has a big future at the club provided he stays here in the long term. Howson will still get his chances, largely because he is very much a valuable utility player who can provide adequate cover in almost any position.

Morris and Hayden Hackney are playing so well together that even Dan Barlaser, who has never put a foot wrong in his recent spells on the pitch, is another who must stay strong in training and wait for his chances.

While the major competition within the team has emerged up front, we’ve potentially got a similar situation developing at the back. It was great to see Dael Fry finally get back on the pitch against Luton in the knowledge that he has finally put his frustrating injury behind him.

Fry is a solid defender at this level. He will soon be pushing hard for a starting place. The Middlesbrough defender will still face a battle on his hands because George Edmundson has been a much-welcome pillar of strength following his signing from Ipswich, while Matt Clarke is again getting back into top gear following his short spell on the sidelines through injury.

Both men were superb against Luton. But then Edmundson in particular has been outstanding all season and is the one man who has ensured that Boro have been able to hold things together at the back reasonably well. Clarke was the top man towards the end of the previous campaign and, now that he is back in the team again, will have no intentions of giving up his place easily.

That’s without forgetting Rav van den Berg, who was the Boro’s top player of last season. He is a difficult man to leave out of the side when he is playing at his peak. With this quartet of centre-backs alone, Boro must have one of the strongest squads in this department when everybody is match fit.

But for a major injury setback, Darragh Lenihan would have been competing with this quartet on an even keel. Boro has high hopes for teenage defender Harley Hunt, who will be left with no doubts at the moment of the level to which he must attain if he is eventually to become a first-team player.

Boro still have one of the worst defensive records among the leading contenders at the top of the Championship though they have had to ensure almost as much chopping and changing as they did at the start of last term when they suffered from an injury crisis at the back.

If the team as a whole can maintain the current level of momentum then maybe we will not be worrying too much about goals conceded. International breaks often come at a frustrating time for Boro. The last thing the players would have wanted was a two-week gap when they are doing so well in the Championship.

No doubt Carrick will keep his squad fully focussed in training while at the same time keeping his fingers crossed that everybody returns from international duty without any fresh injury worries. If Carrick can keep everybody buzzing then the only way is up.

Neto Borges will surely be ready to travel to Oxford United on Saturday week which increases the competition even further. Luke Ayling played well at left-back against Luton while Anfernee Dijksteel did himself no harm with his performance on the right.

Oxford have probably surprised many people with their initial impact in the Championship but Boro must see this trip as a potential three-pointer on their current form. Then, in the knowledge that the corner may finally have been turned at the Riverside, Boro can look forward to consecutive clashes on Teesside against Blackburn and Hull.

The opportunity is there to get a foothold in the top six. The players must remain in top gear if they are to make this season a memorable one after all.