A clear pre-January goal and a relatively inexpensive Middlesbrough defeat revealed a previous transfer error.
Middlesbrough’s 2-0 loss to Ipswich Town at the Riverside on Saturday marked their second straight league defeat.
Bolton has come out of the Leeds and Ipswich games with two losses in what always appeared to be a difficult doubleheader, especially given the injury crisis they are currently facing. Conor Chaplin and Omari Hutchinson’s goals ultimately sealed Michael Carrick’s team’s most recent defeat.
Ipswich’s clinical touch in front of goal ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams in a fairly tight match where they essentially neutralized one another. We consider the game’s main talking points and conclusions.
Boro are not innovative.
In actuality, this was a far cry from the hectic, thrilling show at Elland Road a week ago, as there were only four shots on goal in the entire ninety minutes of play. It was more of a tactical fight in which two sides with strikingly similar styles essentially neutralized one another.
In the end, the quality on both ends of the field determined the difference. With two goals from three shots on target (the third a meek, deflected effort that trickled harmlessly through to Seny Dieng), Ipswich punished Boro. Boro, on the other hand, managed just one shot on goal, and their best chance of scoring was probably a header by Luke Woolfenden of Ipswich, which went just past the keeper.
Kieran McKenna, the manager of Ipswich, was understandably happy with his team’s victory, but he also acknowledged that they could have performed better when they found opportunities to turn the game around. Because of the injuries, this was even more of a case for a somewhat improvised Boro side.
Due to their lack of connections and Sam Greenwood’s difficulty contributing as a right winger, Boro was unable to use any of their typical team strategies to break down Ipswich. The type of opportunities they had in the game may be the best way to describe that. The first-half solo run and shot by Emmanuel Latte Lath, the header from Dan Barlaser’s free kick, the header from Woolfenden, and Barlaser’s direct corner were all excellent individual or set-piece moments. In terms of their typical team build-up play, Boro was unable to generate any momentum during this match.
And find it difficult to match Emmanuel Lath Lath
Carrick acknowledged after the game that Boro needs to figure out how to use Latte Lath properly. Carrick said the Ivorian appeared dangerous, and the Ivorian was really positive again. His drive in from the channel in the first half and his unfortunate miss just wide were two of Boro’s better chances throughout the game.
Not for the first time, he outran his Ipswich marker to get a headed attempt on goal, making his second-half chance even more impressive. Latte Lath has amazing leaping ability for a player of her size. Despite being smaller than the 6′ 4in Woolfenden, the Ipswich defender won multiple headers against him.
The problem was that no matter how many times the 24-year-old won those headers and slid the ball in behind, no Boro player was ever close enough to him to really score. Though, perhaps, summarising Boro’s afternoon, the attack failed miserably quickly.
Latte Lath is beginning to look really good when wearing a Boro shirt by himself, but his teammates need to improve on how they complement him. Even though he appears very good on his own, Boro has lost three of the last four games since he returned to the starting lineup. At times, he appears far too isolated. These losses don’t necessarily mean that Latte Lath is to blame, but they do indicate that there is currently a disconnect.
An earlier transfer mistake revealed
Ipswich, who have a midfield two made up of former Boro players, is thriving in the Championship, providing a prime example of what it means to be a typical Boro. In Massimo Luongo’s instance, they did so by releasing him at the conclusion of his brief contract.
Luongo wasn’t involved in this because of his suspension; instead, Sam Morsy’s performance brought attention to a critical transfer mistake that Boro made prior to Kieran Scott’s arrival and subsequent takeover. For Ipswich in the middle of the park, Morsy was brilliant. It’s possible to say that he controlled the game.
His tale of Boro is also peculiar. He came to Teesside from Wigan, and despite the fact that it was during the closed-doors campaign, he had a great first season and quickly won over the supporters. And yet, just a year and a half later, he was pushed out of the exit door at Boro against his will, as he has been willing to acknowledge.
At the time, it seemed as though Boro was simply in the final year of his contract and felt it was time to move on from the soon-to-be 30-year-old. After relocating to Ipswich, becoming a regular, and being awarded the captain’s armband, Morsy has revealed the enormity of the mistake made by the Boro chiefs at the time. Boro’s midfield frequently lacks the all-action, combative operator that Morsy possesses.
Definite objective by January
Even though this was Boro’s third loss in four games, they were still only three points out of the play-off spots in the league standings. That’s why, despite being disappointing due to the lackluster performance, the Ipswich loss wasn’t too bad overall.
It speaks volumes about Boro’s tenacity, especially in light of the quantity and quality of players that are currently unavailable for selection. They are still within one victory of the top six. In the end, they’re barely making enough progress to be competitive in a hotly contested postseason race.
