Have Middlesbrough Already Punted on Promotion?
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND - Dejected Middlesbrough player Matt Crooks (l) leaves the field after the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg match between Middlesbrough and Coventry City at Riverside Stadium.
It hasn’t been a great August for Middlesbrough supporters. A year ago, Boro was the talk of the Championship, having finished fourth in the league and seemingly having the pieces in place to make a run at promotion to the Premier League. Instead, it’s all going wrong for Michael Carrick’s side.
That might seem dramatic after just two matches, but there’s plenty wrong here with Boro’s situation. Not only have they lost twice to open the season, but they’ve now lost Chuba Akpom to Ajax after the Dutch side offered just over $13 million for Boro’s top scorer. That’s big money that can help the club later, but in the short term, it’s 29 goals gone to the Netherlands.
With Boro already losers of two games and scoreless on the season, it’s reasonable to think this isn’t their year. Here’s why.
Middlesbrough Prioritized the Future Over the Present
There are two schools of thought here. First, Boro’s plan for the future should help maximize their chances of staying in the Premier League once they arrive. They’re making some signings that set them up well for three or four years down the road, as they don’t want to go straight back down to the EFL like last time.
But that doesn’t help for the time being, and there’s the other school of thought: Middlesbrough misread its team. When a team has surprise success, they sometimes attempt to run it back, thinking it was good enough last year and can only get better. But so far, it isn’t getting better. In the Championship, any misread means a miss on promotion.
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Middlesbrough Has Limited Scoring Options
Losing Akpom is a blow, but when Ajax offers that much money, a Championship club really has no choice. But there’s another problem: second choice Cameron Archer is also gone. Archer scored 11 goals in 20 matches last season on loan from Aston Villa, and Middlesbrough wanted him back. But Archer really didn’t want another year in the Championship, and Sheffield United was able to offer the 21-year-old a spot in the Premier League. As such, Archer isn’t interested in returning to Teesside. And with Akpom gone, Boro’s options to score get short.
Can Carrick Recapture the Magic?
Of course, the club isn’t going to admit defeat. Nor is it likely to be relegated, even after the ugly start. But it’s questionable whether Michael Carrick can get the job done with what he’s got on hand. Most likely, his goal will be to tread water until the December transfer window, where he might be able to add a reliable scorer.
It’s likely to allow Boro to take another shot next year. But if things don’t change in the next month, this promotion challenge is likely over before it begins for 2023.
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