Before their surprising 1 - 0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers this week, Middlesbrough were the top scorers in the Championship. Despite being overtaken in that sense by both Norwich City and Leeds United, Boro are having a solid season under former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, with a Premier League return being eyed up on Teesside.
Carrick has implemented an exciting style of attacking football at the Riverside Stadium, with Boro on fire in front of goal. His side have scored 29 goals in the Championship, taking them into the playoff places after 17 games.
This is a reflection of just how great of an impact Carrick has made since taking the job, replacing now-Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder in October 2022 with the club 21st in the second tier.
Many were sceptical over Carrick's appointment with his only previous managerial experience being a brief interim spell in charge of Manchester United.
But the former Premier League winner has silenced his critics after guiding Boro to a play-off campaign the very same season, where they fell short in the semi-finals to a Coventry City side that included Viktor Gyokeres.
Middlesbrough came close to finishing in the top six again last season, ending the season in 8th place, four points off Norwich City who finished sixth. Carrick also led his team to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, where Boro did manage a 1 - 0 win over Chelsea in the first leg before being torn apart in the second at Stamford Bridge.
The season was largely seen as a positive one especially after losing the strike partnership of Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer in the Summer; Akpom had been the Championship's top scorer the previous season with 28 goals.
This was an important sign that Boro weren't stagnating, something we have seen many Championship clubs struggle with in the past.
Boro have started well once again under Carrick this season as they chase their second play-off campaign in three years. Despite a slow start to 2024/2025, winning just two of their opening six league games, Middlesbrough have kicked on and had won three straight games before their controversial defeat to Blackburn on Wednesday night.
Dom Hyam was quite clearly offside when he scored the only goal of Rovers' 1 - 0 victory at the Riverside Stadium, but the late goal stood nonetheless and Carrick's side were left empty handed.
The three game winning run which came before Wednesday's defeat however showcased Middlesbrough's goal scoring prowess, with a 4 - 1 win at QPR, a 5 - 1 win over Luton and a 6 - 2 thrashing of Oxford United marking the highest scoring three-game run for any Championship side this season.
Whilst these sides are in the bottom half of the Championship, Boro were only able to beat what was in front of them, and they did so in style.
Several players impressed over those three games but the man who got the majority of the goals was striker Emmanuel Latte Lath. The Ivory Coast forward picked up five goals in those three games, including a hat-trick away to Oxford United.
The Ivorian is now up to seven goals this season and well on track to beat his tally of eighteen from last campaign. A pacey striker who knows where the back of the net is, Latte Lath has proven pivotal for Carrick's system, with competition from the likes of Tommy Conway and Marcus Forss keeping Boro's top scorer honest.
Another player who has impressed in November is former Aston Villa midfielder Finn Azaz. The Irish international collected three goals and four assists on the winning run and is proving to be a massive asset for Middlesbrough.
Azaz normally operates in the number ten role with Latte Lath ahead of him; Liverpool loanee Ben Doak is on one wing with Delano Burgzorg on the other. This has given Boro plenty of creativity, much of it through Azaz, helping them to rack up the goals in recent weeks (and the highest xG in the Championship this season).
2024 has been a big year for Finn Azaz, who made his full Ireland debut at the end of last season, starting against Hungary in June. He also featured in Ireland's recent 5 - 0 defeat to England at Wembley.
Holding onto these key players in January will be a big focus for Middlesbrough as Winter progresses, with academy graduate Hayden Hackney another name linked with Premier League clubs. The 22-year-old controls the midfield brilliantly and offers a real threat going forward.
This is where the pressure of reaching at least the play-offs becomes apparent. An excellent season in the Championship is often enough to earn a player a move to the Premier League whether their team is promoted or not.
The likes of Latte Lath and Azaz likely won't find it difficult to negotiate a Premier League move in the Summer if Middlesbrough don't deliver on their potential in the second half of the season.
That being said, the Boro faithful will harbour real hope of achieving a top six finish themselves. They are under the right guidance of Carrick who is doing a very respectable job after two years at the Riverside, with their goal record reflecting highly on his ability.
Improvements do need to be made at the other end of the pitch, as Boro have shipped 20 goals in their 17 league matches this season, but that's an issue which could be addressed in January if rival players believe that Carrick can guide his team to the Premier League.
As long as Middlesbrough can put their defeat to Blackburn behind them, with managerless Hull City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Boro have every chance of securing a top six spot and potentially returning to the top flight.
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