Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick should be seriously worried about Emmanuel Latte Lath - View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick will be alarmed by striker Emmanuel Latte Lath's lack of goals this season.

It has been a frustrating few weeks for Middlesbrough in the Championship.

After starting slowly in each of the last two seasons, it has been an improved opening to the campaign for Boro, but inconsistency has continued to be a significant problem.

Michael Carrick's side were beaten by Watford before the international break, and they suffered their second consecutive defeat as they lost 2-0 to Bristol City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

It was a dominant start from Boro, but once again they failed to take their chances when on top in the game, with Finn Azaz and Emmanuel Latte Lath both going close.

As well as being profligate in front of goal, another alarming trend for the Teesside outfit this season has been costly defensive mistakes, and the Robins twice capitalised on errors from the home side to establish a two-goal lead before half time through Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa.

Boro had several penalty appeals turned down in the second half as they looked to get back into the game, but in truth, there was little in the way of a response after the break as they were condemned to their first home defeat of the season.

After another disappointing afternoon, Boro currently sit ninth in the Championship table, four points from the play-off places, and they are back in action when they host Sheffield United on Wednesday night.

While he is far from the only Boro player struggling in front of goal right now, Latte Lath's poor form will be a huge concern for Carrick, and there are question marks over whether his head has been turned by his failed move to Ipswich Town late in the summer transfer window.

Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick will be increasingly worried about Emmanuel Latte Lath form

Latte Lath joined Boro from Atalanta last summer in a deal that could eventually be worth £5.6 million, and after a slow start to his time at the Riverside Stadium, he found his feet in the second half of the season.

The striker ended the 2023-24 campaign with 18 goals in 36 appearances, meaning that he was on the scoresheet once every two games on average, and after scoring eight goals in the final six matches, many expected his fine form to continue into the new campaign.

Latte Lath got his season off to the perfect start as he scored the winner from the penalty spot in Boro's 1-0 victory over Swansea City on the opening weekend, but that is his only goal of the campaign so far.

It is difficult to explain Latte Lath's decline in form, but he was involved in a dramatic transfer saga as Ipswich Town had a bid rejected on deadline day, and that may be a reason for his current goalscoring problems.

Latte Lath was said to be frustrated that Boro blocked his opportunity to play in the Premier League with the Tractor Boys, and he initially did not travel to South Wales with the rest of the squad for the game against Cardiff City, but he eventually changed his mind and was introduced as a second half substitute in his side's 2-0 win over the Bluebirds.

Carrick insisted that there was "not one bit of worry" for him about how Latte Lath would respond to missing out on a move to Portman Road, but given that he has not scored in the subsequent two months, he will surely be getting increasingly concerned at his lack of goalscoring prowess.

Latte Lath is being provided with plenty of opportunities to get on the scoresheet by his team-mates, but he has missed eight big chances already this season, and he has an xG of 4.14, showing how significantly he is underperforming.

Michael Carrick could soon face big Emmanuel Latte Lath decision

Carrick has kept faith with Latte Lath throughout his disappointing run of form, but his patience will not last forever, and he may soon be forced to make a change up front.

Tommy Conway has impressed since joining Boro from Bristol City for a fee in the region of £4.5 million this summer, scoring two goals in his first seven appearances for the club.

Conway made his return from injury as a second half substitute against his former club on Saturday, and after a bright cameo appearance, he will be pushing for a start against Sheffield United in midweek.

Carrick has suggested that he could use Conway in the number 10 role long-term, but the 22-year-old is the most clinical finisher at the club currently, and the head coach may not be able to resist the calls to play him in his preferred position for too much longer, while he could also give Delano Burzorg or Marcus Forss an opportunity.

Latte Lath will no doubt have a big role to play this season, and if he can rediscover his form, he could be the man to fire Boro to promotion, but he may potentially benefit from a few weeks out of the team.

While Boro's main concern will be Latte Lath's form on the pitch, they may also be wondering whether they missed their best chance to cash in on the Ivorian in the summer.