Michael Carrick has told The Northern Echo he will not change Middlesbrough’s style of play despite the club’s sluggish start to the season.
Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Sunderland marked another frustrating result for Boro, who have now failed to win four of their opening six Championship games and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Stoke City. However, Carrick remains steadfast in his philosophy and believes that the team is not far from hitting top form.
Middlesbrough have dominated possession in every league game this season, including 63% against Sunderland, but have struggled to turn that control into meaningful chances. The lack of clear-cut opportunities was evident at the Stadium of Light, where Boro only managed one shot on target, finding it difficult to break down Sunderland’s disciplined low block.
Carrick, however, is confident that Boro’s approach will eventually pay off. “There’s a way of playing,” he explained. “We bring players in to play a certain way and play to their strengths, so we’re not going to flip that on its head so early in the season.”
While acknowledging that his side can improve in the final third, Carrick emphasized the importance of patience and trust in their playing style. “We can do things better, the way we were around the box with our movements and ideas,” he admitted. “But it’s not rip up and start again by any stretch. We’ve lost three games in 19. It’s time to take a deep breath and keep doing what we’re doing.”
The former Manchester United midfielder believes his team is still creating opportunities and that the results will come if they continue to follow their game plan. During the Sunderland game, Boro had several chances in the first half, with Tommy Conway, Matt Clarke, and Emmanuel Latte Lath all coming close to breaking the deadlock. However, the second half saw little threat to Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson as Boro struggled to create meaningful opportunities.
“We’re still creating chances,” Carrick reiterated. “We didn’t create enough towards the end of that one (against Sunderland), but in general, we are. That’s the magic of football—each end of the pitch. We’re not giving much away and are defensively pretty sound. We’re just not capitalising on those big moments really.”
Despite the frustrating results, Carrick is not overly concerned and sees the situation as an indication of how much respect Boro have earned from their opponents. He noted that teams tend to play differently against Middlesbrough, adjusting their tactics to disrupt Boro’s possession-heavy approach. “You can see how much it means to teams when they beat us,” Carrick said. “I think that’s a compliment to us and credit to the boys of how strong we are individually and as a team.”
The Boro boss also pointed out the emotional response from Sunderland after their win, suggesting that opposition sides see Middlesbrough as a significant challenge. “It feels like a different game to the one we watch them play week in, week out before our games,” he added. “We’ve got to get used to that, take it as a compliment and use that. We’ve got good players and we are a good team.”
The latest defeat leaves Carrick’s men in 12th, with eight points from six games. They’re locked on their tally with Norwich above them and Bristol City below them, but in the early table are just one win from the play-offs, and one defeat from the bottom four.
Writer’s View
Michael Carrick’s calm, measured response to Middlesbrough’s slow start is refreshing, especially in a football landscape where quick-fix solutions are often sought after disappointing results. His refusal to abandon the team’s core principles suggests he has a clear long-term vision. This belief in the system will likely help Boro steady the ship, as the team remains defensively solid and has shown flashes of attacking promise.
However, while sticking to a possession-based approach makes sense, Carrick will need to find a way to break down teams that sit deep, especially as more opponents are likely to adopt similar tactics to Sunderland’s. Middlesbrough’s challenge now is to turn their possession into more frequent, higher-quality chances, ensuring their dominance translates into victories. The foundations are there, but the key will be improving in those decisive moments.
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