Tuesday night’s victory over West Brom required Middlesbrough to accomplish a first for the Championship this year. The first goal the Baggies have given up at the Hawthorns this season was Hayden Hackney’s winning shot in that match.
Michael Carrick’s team felt that victory over West Brom was a statement win. Now, they hope to put an end to that declaration of intent. Before the season’s second international break, they must accomplish what no other Championship team has done this year: win at Vicarage Road.
Although Tom Cleverley’s team enjoyed a great start to the season, they had lost three of their previous five games heading into this one, including a 3-0 loss to Preston North End on Wednesday night. The unfortunate thing for Boro is that each of those three losses happened away from home.
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Although Boro’s unexpected victory against West Brom in the middle of the week gives them confidence, manager Michael Carrick is aware that the team still faces a significant obstacle this weekend. It is, of course, a test.
Every match is an exam, he declared. “Tom and I are quite familiar. His work is of high quality.
“Though things didn’t go their way last night, they are a solid squad with solid players, and you can see the work Tom is making with his system. In this league, any team can drop a match. Although they didn’t win against Preston, they are still a threat.
They have a well-established organization and excellent individuals. It is not an easy place to go. We are aware that we are up against a formidable team. Within reason, we’re heading there with confidence, and in order to try to obtain the desired outcome, we need to be close to our best once more.”
Watford appears to be a tough team to defeat at home, but Boro enters the game motivated by their own performance. Rebounding from the defeat at Sunderland two weeks ago, Carrick’s team has at last begun to exhibit the kind of play that many had predicted would see them in the mix this season.
They are back in the mix after taking six points from West Brom and Stoke City.
Carrick cautioned, “There’s always things to work on,” displaying no symptoms of overconfidence. “At this point, league position is not worth examining; the outcomes will take care of it.
We are aware of the great work we’re doing. We’ve won a few games, but we won’t let that make us enthusiastic. The week continues in the same rhythm, with processes and correct actions being attempted consistently.
“We’ll continue to work on expanding that. Nothing is different. We’ve settled in pretty well.
As I’ve stated for a few weeks, I understand that outcomes matter, but for the most part, nothing has changed. We’ve more merciless and more clinical, and we’ve won the games; the boys deserve praise for that. We’ve played excellent defense and are difficult to beat.”
Carrick faces off against a head coach he is familiar with in Cleverley. When Manchester United last won the Premier League title in 2013, the two spent the most of their games together on the field. The two are still close friends, but this Saturday, when Carrick plays Cleverley, it will be business as usual for him despite the frequently dangerous task of attempting to avoid getting fired at Watford.
When questioned about Watford’s strategy and Cleverley’s choice to accept the position earlier in the year, the Boro manager remarked, “It seems like a wise choice to me. He had a strong finish to the previous season and is off to a good start this one. In addition to playing against us, I hope he goes on to accomplish some truly amazing things. I wish him all the best.
“I believe selecting future coaches is difficult. There are certain boys who, when you look back on them, seem like they were destined to be managers, but they never pursue it. Then there are some that take you by surprise—you don’t really notice it—and they end up becoming a coach. It’s difficult to forecast.
Tom had a genuine passion for the game that was evident from the moment he left the academy, trained with the first team, and showed a daily desire to develop and get better. His stellar career demonstrates the positive impact that attitude can have.
He was clearly gifted and skilled, but what really stood out was how much he loved the game and how smart he was to keep improving.
I’m happy for him because he’s now coaching incredibly well. We remain friends and in contact, so it’s good to see him succeed.”Tuesday night’s victory over West Brom required Middlesbrough to accomplish a first for the Championship this year. The game-winning goal by Hayden Hackney was the first the Baggies have given up at the Hawthorns this season.
The victory over West Brom felt like a statement win for Michael Carrick’s team, and in order to put an end to that declaration of intent going into the season’s second international break, they will need to accomplish what no other Championship team has done thus far: win at Vicarage Road.
Although y’sTom Cleverle team enjoyed a great start to the season, they had lost three of their previous five games going into this one, including a 3-0 loss to Preston North End on Wednesday night. The unfortunate thing for Boro is that each of those three losses happened away from home.
Micah Hamilton’s goals for Middlesbrough, the reasons he left Man City, and his agent Morgan Rogers
Although Boro’s unexpected victory against West Brom in the middle of the week gives them confidence, manager Michael Carrick is aware that the team still faces a significant obstacle this weekend. It is, of course, a test. Every match is an exam, he declared. “Tom and I are quite familiar. His work is of high quality.
“Though things didn’t go their way last night, they are a solid squad with solid players, and you can see the work Tom is making with his system. In this league, any team can drop a match. Although they didn’t win against Preston, they are still a threat.
They have a well-established organization and excellent individuals. It is not an easy place to go. We anticipate a challenging match because they are a formidable team. We’re confident that we can achieve the desired outcome, so long as we stay within reasonable bounds.
Boro enters the game motivated by their own form, while Watford appears to be a tough team to defeat at home. Rebounding from the defeat at Sunderland two weeks ago, Carrick’s team has at last begun to exhibit the kind of play that many had predicted would see them in the mix this season. They are back in the mix after taking six points from West Brom and Stoke City.
“There’s always things to work on,” said Carrick, as he showed minimal evidence of getting carried away. “At this point, league position is not worth examining; the outcomes will take care of it. We are aware of the great work we’re doing. We’ve won a few games, but we won’t let that make us enthusiastic. The week follows the same routine, with the same procedures and constant attempts to act morally.
“We’ll continue to work on expanding that. Nothing is different. We’ve settled in pretty well. As I’ve stated for a few weeks, I understand that outcomes matter, but for the most part, nothing has changed. We’ve more merciless and more clinical, and we’ve won the games; the boys deserve praise for that. We’ve played excellent defense and are challenging to penetrate.”
Carrick faces off against a head coach he is familiar with in Cleverley. When Manchester United last won the Premier League in 2013, the two spent the majority of their games together. The two are still close friends, but this Saturday, when Carrick plays Cleverley, it will be business as usual for him despite the frequently dangerous task of attempting to avoid getting fired at Watford.
Concerning Watford’s strategy and Cleverley’s choice to accept the position earlier in the year, the Boro manager remarked, “It seems like a wise choice to me.” He had a strong season finale and a strong start to this one. Aside from competing against us, I hope he goes on to accomplish some truly amazing things. I wish him all the best.
“I believe selecting future coaches is difficult. There are those boys who, when you look back on them, seem like they were destined to be managers but never pursue it. Then there are some that take you by surprise—you don’t really notice it—and they end up becoming a coach. It’s challenging to forecast.
“Tom had a genuine passion for the game that was evident from the moment he left the academy, practiced with the first team, and developed a daily drive to get better. It only goes to show what kind of an attitude that can have. He had a great career.
“He was clearly gifted and skilled, but what really came through was his passion for the game and his subsequent astuteness in continuing to improve it. I’m happy for him because he’s now coaching incredibly well. It makes me happy to watch him succeed because we remain friends and in contact.”