Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough FC flaw could force Steve Gibson into action soon | OneFootball

The Boro boss is coming under increasing scrutiny after Middlesbrough's 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick is skating on thin ice after the latest chapter in a mistake-laden season was written at Bramall Lane on Wednesday night.

Boro's 3-1 defeat to automatic promotion-chasing Sheffield United means Middlesbrough's form now reads three wins from their last 14 matches in all competitions, and frustrations among supporters are beginning to reach boiling point.

The Blades had a stranglehold on the Teessiders during the first half, and it was only in large part thanks to numerous smart saves from Mark Travers that the game wasn't out of Boro's sight at the interval.

Alas, it would eventually be, as goals from Ben Brereton Diaz and Anel Ahmedhodzic sealed the three points for the home side, with Travers and Rav van den Berg doing their part to prevent two more certified goals in the second half.

It was a night where Middlesbrough's defence needed to be watertight, pragmatic, and well-organised. They weren't, and it's this Achilles heel of Carrick's tenure that should have club chairman and owner Steve Gibson rethinking what the future looks like in the Boro dugout.

Middlesbrough's defensive record under Michael Carrick could see his position come under major scrutiny

Another three goals conceded at Bramall Lane now takes Middlesbrough's goals conceded tally in the Championship to 42 after 31 games played so far this season.

It's an amount that means Carrick's side are currently sitting with the 15th worst goals conceded per game average of 1.4, and ninth in the league for clean sheets with nine - per FotMob (as of 13/02/25). Needless to say, that simply isn't good enough for a team that is expected to and has recruited to finish in the play-offs.

Years ago, then Manchester United manager José Mourinho coined the phrase 'football heritage' in the context of describing the Red Devils' repeated shortcomings in the transfer market, and their results in the Premier League. It's applicable to Carrick's Middlesbrough too.

In 2022/23, Boro finished 13th in the Championship for goals conceded in Carrick's first season in charge with an average of 1.2, and 20th in clean sheets with 10 - per FotMob.

That was followed up with a 13th-placed finish for goals conceded once again in the 2023/24 season, recording an average of 1.3. As for clean sheets, Middlesbrough had the 16th fewest in the second tier with 11.

At the other end of the pitch, Boro ranked second in the Championship for goals scored per match in 2022/23 with 1.8, sixth in 2023/24 with 1.5, and as of 13 February 2025, Boro are currently sitting second in the division this season with 1.6.

This, as Mourinho would say, is 'football heritage'. The problem throughout Carrick's tenure at the Riverside has never been scoring goals and creating chances, it's been preventing the ball from hitting the back of their own net.

He's consistently been able to produce one of the league's most potent attacking forces each season, but also some of the weaker and more penetrable defences in the division, and it's once again holding Middlesbrough back from cementing themselves as a play-off team, and perhaps even higher than that.

Middlesbrough's defence is likely to undergo a major summer overhaul

Should Michael Carrick be trusted to oversee it?

Regardless of what division Middlesbrough are plying their trade in for 2025/26, a major overhaul of their defensive unit is sure to take place in the summer.

Van den Berg is reportedly attracting interest from Crystal Palace ahead of a potential end-of-season switch. Luke Ayling is 33 and not enjoying a particularly strong campaign so far, whilst Ryan Giles is only on loan for the remainder of the season, and whilst a permanent move is potentially on the cards, the Hull City left-back hasn't hit the ground running upon his return to Teesside.

Elsewhere, Darragh Lenihan, Dael Fry and George Edmundson make up the remainder of a fairly threadbare centre-back group, with uncertainty over the long-term future of Lenihan in particular.

Anfernee Dijksteel is set to become a free agent in the summer, whilst Tommy Smith was forced to retire in early February after rupturing his Achilles in October 2023. Lukas Engel has joined MLS side FC Cincinnati on loan until December, whilst Neto Borges has struggled to adapt to life in the Championship since his summer move from Clermont.

Alex Bangura has also been out injured since the summer, and underwent Achilles surgery in August. With all that in mind, Boro look to have a lot of work to do when it comes to constructing their defence in the summer.

But, with a significant amount of money likely to be required in order to piece together a defence that can compete with the league's best units, should Carrick really be trusted to oversee it?

There's no doubting that he knows what he's looking for when it comes to signing attacking players, but the same perhaps can't be said at the other end of the pitch given the absence of top quality defenders at Championship level arriving at the football club since his arrival.

Has he been unlucky with injuries to the likes of Lenihan, Smith and Matt Clarke in recent times? Absolutely. But, those were also players he inherited from Chris Wilder, with Clarke having since been sold to Derby County in the winter window.

Whether it's been talent identification and recruitment issues, or organising and setting them up to be defensively sound on the pitch, Carrick just hasn't been quite getting it right at the back on Teesside.

Therefore, Gibson now needs to have a serious think about what his next steps are when it comes to Carrick's future. He's as desperate to see Middlesbrough back in the Premier League as anyone, so is it really the smartest thing to hand Carrick another healthy transfer budget to spend on the defence in the summer?

Or, does he bet on the attacking players in the squad to take care of themselves next season, and instead appoint a defensive-minded manager to come in with a fresh set of eyes and perhaps a better understanding of what is needed to fix the biggest roadblock Boro have to top flight football?

A fascinating few months await.