Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough’s secret weapon battle as early pressure mounts
may feel after making a losing start to the Championship season, imagine (or rather, remember) how Middlesbrough must feel to have also lost their two openers after reaching last year’s play-offs.
Boro fans are unlikely to take huge solace from seeing their side claim a narrow victory over Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup just last week, especially given that Neil Warnockfielded a weakened side that was then reduced to ten men after just 13 minutes.
It feels stupidly early in the season to be talking about pressure, but anything less than a victory will have Boro fans up in arms, while Town fans will be desperate to get at least a point on the board as soon as possible to suggest that they’re not in for another season sitting in the bottom three.
How will the new signings figure for both sides? Both sides have plenty of willing runners, with Isaiah Jones and especially Morgan Rogers giving Coventry as many problems last week as they gave Town’s second string in the cup, with their best efforts this time ruined by poor finishing from their teammates.
That has echoes of Town’s own performances this season: they wasted numerous very presentable openings against Plymouth on the opening day as well as easily the best chance of the game against Leicester last weekend. In both games, they had their share of territory but lacked the final touch or run they needed to unlock the defence.
So it really throws a lawnmower among the pigeons that both sides have picked up new forwards from abroad this week, with Delano Burgzorg making the move to the John Smith’s Stadiumon loan from Mainz while Emmanuel Latte Lath has joined Middlesbrough from Italian side Atalanta. We’ll need to see how prominently they feature, but both have the potential to transform their sides’ fortunes.
Can Huddersfield Town show a bit more on the ball (or will they even need to)? Michael Carrick’s side could be a bit Jekyl and Hyde at the back last season: despite finishing fourth and having the joint-second best home defensive record, they had the joint third-worst away defensive record in the Championship last season (joint with Town, in fact).
Of course, Boro will be at home on this occasion; but that propensity to expose a soft underbelly was on full show in their three-goal defeat to Coventry last weekend, with the defence consistently looking half asleep and way too slow to react as they allowed Mark Robins’ team to score again and again. The goals Kian Harratt and Kyle Hudlin put past them for Town did not exactly speak very highly, either.
If Town catch their opponents putting in that kind of performance again, then even they should create chances – but they need to be ready for Boro to try and provide a response. That means Town themselves need to be much more ruthless with what openings they do create around the box.
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