If Middlesbrough loses at Sheffield Wednesday, they will only have one choice: Opinion
Even though the 2023–24 season has just begun, Middlesbrough may need to take swift action and fire head coach Michael Carrick.
- Middlesbrough’s form under Michael Carrick has been disappointing, with early losses and a struggle to score goals.
- Carrick’s failure to strengthen the defense and his inability to keep clean sheets has been a major issue for the team.
- If Middlesbrough loses to Sheffield Wednesday, it may be time for the club to consider replacing Carrick with a more experienced and ambitious manager like Jon Dahl Tomasson.
- Due to their outstanding performance under head coach Michael Carrick, Middlesbrough was predicted to be the favorites to advance via the Championship play-offs in the latter part of April and the beginning of May.But after around four months, the Teessiders find themselves in a situation similar to the one they were in at this point in 2022–2023.
Carrick won 18 of his 30 regular season games while in charge of Boro, earning 58 points out of a possible 90, and turning them from underachievers in the early months of the previous season to promotion contenders in his first permanent management position.
This left Boro in a strong position to win the play-offs, but they fell short against a Coventry City team that was tenacious and only need one goal in the second leg at the Riverside Stadium to defeat Carrick’s team, sending them back to the Championship for yet another season.
However, at the time, Middlesbrough went into the transfer market looking to primarily recruit up and coming young players, with a sprinkle of experience in the form of Seny Dieng. As a result, the devastating impact of losing not only loanees Ryan Giles and Cameron Archer, but also Chuba Akpom to Ajax, was not anticipated.
This season, however, the red flags were raised as soon as Millwall won on the first day at the Riverside and Coventry City defeated them 3-0 at the CBS Arena.
- The new-look Boro team has struggled to gel on the field despite creating plenty of chances in games, but the finishing touch just isn’t there. More misery has followed against West Brom, QPR, and Blackburn.
And with Sheffield Wednesday, who are currently in 23rd place, hosting 24th-placed Boro on Tuesday night in what already feels like a relegation six-pointer, a loss at Hillsborough against the Owls must undoubtedly spell the end of Carrick’s tenure as manager.
If Middlesbrough loses to Sheffield Wednesday, why should they fire Michael Carrick?
Although Carrick has only been in charge for a little over a year—he was appointed in late October 2022—there is a serious possibility that Boro’s current form will persist.
Although only six games have been played, the season will go by fast, and if a few more losses are suffered, it will be more difficult to make up the deficit.
Without intending to offend Sheffield Wednesday, if they lose to a team who hasn’t generated much offense thus far this year, Carrick will likely realize that he has earned the right to be in danger of losing his job.
It may seem cruel that he lost three key members of the starting 11 from the previous season, but he has spent money to attempt to bring in replacements. Alex Bangura, Lukas Engel, and Emmanuel Latte Lath all cost money, and Lewis O’Brien won’t be a cheap loan deal.
However, even with Carrick’s arrival, there has been a significant battle to prevent goals from entering the net.
Just six clean sheets were held in his 30 matches as manager throughout the regular Championship season last year, and going into their match against Wednesday, Boro had given up 13 goals and were yet to record a league shutout in 2023–24.
Football is a results-based industry, so there can’t be many complaints if Carrick is fired if his team loses on Tuesday. Chris Wilder swallowed the bullet after 11 games in 2022–23, so maybe it was a mistake not to try to bring in a replacement center-back over the summer.
It would not be out of the question for Boro to be able to lure someone like Jon Dahl Tomasson to Teesside despite now being in the relegation zone.
Even though he has Blackburn Rovers playing excellent football and they obviously trounced Carrick’s team this past weekend, he is still clearly upset at Ewood Park over the Venky’s decision to reduce the transfer budget over the summer.
Tomasson may view Boro as a more ambitious club than Rovers and one that he can not only turn around, but eventually take them back to the Premier League—something that has been long overdue. Boro aren’t afraid to spend the money they make in transfer fees.
Other managers and coaches who are currently without a club may be persuaded to join Boro. These individuals could offer a more temporary solution, but should they continue to struggle under Carrick, they might make an audacious move for Tomasson.
