Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has shed light on the club’s defensive crisis, saying the issue isn’t just about the number of injuries – but where they’ve occurred.
While many Championship teams are managing player absences this season, Carrick believes Boro’s situation is unusually difficult due to the bulk of their injuries being concentrated in one area of the pitch: central defence.
No Centre-Backs, No Problem?
The Teessiders have been left without a recognised centre-half in recent matches. Darragh Lenihan has not featured all season, Dael Fry is sidelined again after an early-season absence, and both Rav van den Berg and Luke Ayling have also been ruled out with injuries.
In recent games, Carrick has had to deploy midfielder Jonny Howson and left-back Neto Borges as an emergency centre-back pairing — an unusual solution that highlights the scale of the problem.
“It’s not just ourselves, a lot of clubs are suffering more injuries. I think the big thing for us lately is that they’ve all come in the same position… This has been pretty extreme.”
The Boro boss said that while most squads can handle injuries if they are spread across different roles, his side’s challenges have become more acute due to the specific positions affected. A similar issue cropped up last season, and he knows all too well the tactical headaches it creates.
“It makes it more difficult when you’re patching together the back line week after week,” he added. “But we’ve shown that even in adversity, we can still put out a good team.”
Hope remains that either van den Berg or Fry could return following the international break, but Carrick may once again have to shuffle his limited deck for this weekend’s match against Oxford United.
Despite the setbacks, Boro remain in contention for the play-offs and Carrick insists they’re still aiming high. With only a handful of matches left to secure a top-six finish, every game counts — and he’ll be relying on his make-shift defence to dig deep once again.
Site opinion
Carrick’s frustrations are understandable, especially given how consistent Boro looked when fully fit earlier in the season. Playing without a single natural centre-back is a huge ask, but the team’s resilience and adaptability has kept them in the hunt. If key defenders return soon, Boro may well be able to mount a final push — but until then, it’s about survival by any means necessary.
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