Middlesbrough will be looking to prove two things this weekend when Luton Town visits the Riverside. First, that they are good enough to improve their dismal home form this season, and second, that they have the consistency required to be serious Championship promotion candidates.
Boro, who won 4-1 at QPR on Tuesday, are looking to win back-to-back league games for only the second time this season. The truth is that Boro’s sole consistency this season has been their inconsistent performance.
That is, at least in terms of results, as stringing together strong performances over multiple games has proven tough. Boro have
generally performed well, with only a few aspects, which head coach Michael Carrick believes are beginning to click, letting them down.
When asked about his team’s consistency, Carrick said: “It’s always something you aspire for because a level of outcomes is what gets you through a season. We have definitely not been consistent enough in terms of results. I believe we have performed admirably for the most part. That’s always the challenge: getting results more frequently. We always have to consider what comes next, and Saturday is another huge one for us.
I’m happy with how we’re playing at this point. In terms of our position in the table, it’s all about points and collecting them to give ourselves a chance. Simply be consistent and maintain a certain level of performance over time. We are attempting to execute things in a manner that we believe will benefit us, and that is the most important aspect.”
Their instability extends to both home and away games, but results at the Riverside have been particularly disappointing this season – a trend that has persisted from last season as well. Boro have only won three of their seven home league games this season, leading up to Luton’s visit.
On the home record, Carrick said: “There is always a reason, but I think, for me, performances have largely been pretty good. It’s something we want to improve on, without doubt. We want more points from our home games and we’ve got to get back to doing that.
“The way games have gone, I think largely we’ve been the better team in most games at home. We’ve been good most of the time. Early on, we maybe didn’t score enough goals and take our chances. But I think the boys have shown that they’ve got a good feeling and their confidence back for that.
Whether it happens this weekend or not, I think you can see the way the boys are playing, there is a dangerous feel to us and we feel we can score goals. That’s great to have, and doing it the way we have over the last couple of weeks will give the lads a lot of confidence.”
The victory at QPR will hopefully have made Boro’s confidence stronger. As well as a clinical display where Boro were able to put the R’s to the sword by scoring four goals, they also ended a recent bad habit of collapsing late in games and surrendering leads.
As they aim to strengthen their promotion credentials by improving their home record and finding a level of consistency in results, they can really change the feel of their season this weekend. Currently eighth in the league table, a win would give Carrick’s side a good chance of sitting in the top-six going into the final international break of the calendar year.
“I’m not judging anything on this week in terms of what it’s going to look like overall,” the Boro boss insisted. “That kind of thing won’t get you anywhere and is just a waste of energy at this stage. We’re not talking about the table at all, and I’ve not heard the players talking about it.
“It goes without saying, if you’re winning games and scoring goals, it gives you a good feeling. But we don’t make a big deal about it. It doesn’t affect what we talk about or how we approach the next game. We’ve got to perform every game, and if you get caught up emotionally in the rollercoaster every week, it will sap your energy.
“We’ve got many months ahead to have to perform and win games. I’m not saying supporters can’t go through the emotions. That’s part of the passion and energy that makes their support of the club and is why the game is the game. They should enjoy the wins and then you’ve got to move on from the losses.”
Luton are the side standing in Boro’s way of proving two big points today. The recently relegated side have had a disappointing start to the season on their return to the Championship—having been the side that pipped Boro, Coventry, and Sunderland in the 2023 play-offs.
They arrive at the Riverside on the back of just their fourth victory of the season on Wednesday evening when they beat Cardiff City at Kenilworth Road. But away from home, former Boro-boss candidate Rob Edwards has been able to lead his side to just one win in six so far.
Not underestimating the Hatters though, Carrick warned: “Luton are a really good team and have a lot of threats. They were competing fantastically well in the Premier League only a few months ago with a very similar team playing a very similar way. We’ve got to respect that a lot. We know the type of game it will be, the threats they will pose in certain areas and we’re fully aware of the test that’s coming for us.”
Be that as it may, the fact of the matter is, if Boro want to be considered serious promotion challengers this season, and if they want to move away from the same story of last season where they were always close but with no cigar, they have to prove two key things this weekend. Firstly, that they are able to win consecutive games and be consistent, and secondly, that they can beat sides on home turf when they naturally come with a bit more of a spoiling attitude.
