r00fie1
Well-known member
Boro face difficult season unless they can solve attacking problem
Boro’s inability to create openings at Reading was as gruesome as it was alarming, writes Eric Paylor
www.gazettelive.co.uk
Middlesbrough face a long, difficult season unless they can quickly solve attacking problem
Boro’s inability to create openings at Reading was as gruesome as it was alarming, writes Eric Paylor
Boro face a long, difficult season unless they can quickly solve the problem of this lack of creativity.
When your goalkeeper is your best attacker, you have to wake up to the fact that something needs fixing.
Boro’s inability to create openings at Reading was as gruesome as it was alarming.
Unlike many fans on social media, I thought that most of the Boro players put in a full shift at Reading.
But that makes it all the more concerning because even with most of the players working hard, Boro still couldn’t create.
It’s a problem which we were all very much aware of last season and believed that it would be solved with Neil Warnock’s huge summer plunge.
There’s still plenty of time, of course. Deep down we all believe that there is a potential team within this new-look squad which is better than this.
Clearly the manager and his coaches need to find the best way forward ahead of the testing game against Sheffield United.
We can’t keep pointing out that the new boys need a bedding-in period. We aren’t the only Championship club to sign new players during the summer.
Creating chances surely isn’t rocket science. You pass and cross the ball to your own players whose job it is to escape the attention of the opposition defenders.
So is it the system which is the major problem? I, for one, cannot understand why Andraz Sporar has been left to plough a lone furrow up front.
Sporar did plenty of running off the ball on Saturday but never received the ball where he wanted it.
There’s surely a solid case for playing two men up front, even if it means utilising three centre-backs.
This system still provides the team with potentially five midfielders. Plenty of men there to try to find the front men in space.
The loss of Onel Hernandez is a blow, but Isaiah Jones was clearly Boro’s biggest threat at Reading and on another day will create at least a handful of chances.
I hope he starts again on Tuesday night because he is potentially a leading light in the battle to get this attacking problem sorted.
Another decision facing Warnock is whether to give Martin Payero another place in the starting line- up.
The Argentine has a great pedigree though he looked well short at Reading, which indicated that he is the one player above all the others who needs the most time.
James Lea Siliki may be passed 100% fit on Tuesday which could lead to his return to the side.
Another big disappointment at Reading was that Marcus Tavernier did not function on the day.
He’s an honest lad who will be aware of his disappointing contribution and I don’t doubt he will be desperate to get back on the pitch on Tuesday and show what he is really about.
Defensively Boro must also be tighter. They were very unfortunate to concede the scuffed goal, but were opened up rather alarmingly on three other occasions during the game.
Paddy McNair will be all the better for the game under his belt, while Lee Peltier continues to rise in stature in his full-back roles.
A third centre-back may help further on Tuesday but the major concerns are all at the other end of the pitch.
Confidence is 90% what this game is all about. With that in mind, Boro cannot afford to let this lack of creativity fester.
If Boro can show their mettle and bounce back against the Blades it will give all of us, players and fans alike, a much needed shot in the arm.
