Middlesbrough FC must plan for life without Ben Doak and not because of Liverpool recall | OneFootball

Doak has been a revelation for Boro since his loan move from Anfield, but Boro and Carrick can't afford to become over-reliant on their loanee...

Middlesbrough appear to have found a gem in the shape of Liverpool loanee Ben Doak, as the Scotland international continues to dazzle and delight Boro supporters with his electric performances.

The right-winger arrived as a surprise last minute Deadline Day signing in August, with Boro beating Premier League and Championship clubs to his signature.

After numerous second half cameos from the bench during his first few fixtures as a Middlesbrough player, the teenager marked his first start for the club with a goal and a 2-0 victory over Stoke City in late September, and for the Riverside faithful, it was love at first sight.

With every passing performance since then, more and more have been signing up to his ever-expanding fan club, as the explosive and direct winger looks to be thriving in his role as one of Michael Carrick's primary attacking weapons.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot even joked recently about having to recall his young starlet back to Anfield, which even though it was a tongue in cheek comment and there is no expectation he will be recalled, it highlights just how big of an impression he's making in the North East.

But, with his fitness levels being managed and a long campaign to come, Middlesbrough must be prepared for those occasions when Doak isn't in the starting XI, as well as avoiding becoming too dependent on him when he is...

Boro must avoid becoming over-reliant on Doak

There is absolutely no problem with Doak being Middlesbrough's best player, as his performance levels in a Boro shirt so far strongly point towards that potentially being the case.

What would be an issue for Boro is if Carrick's side fall into the trap of becoming over-reliant on the teenager to provide the vast majority of their cutting edge, especially given the fact that he is only a temporary addition.

In the three games that Doak hasn't started since his move to Middlesbrough (as of matchday 14), Boro have failed to win any of them, drawing to Preston and Coventry, and losing to Sunderland respectively.

On the flip side, in the seven games he has started, Boro have only lost twice, winning four and drawing once. That highlights how important he is to his team.

When Middlesbrough's talented 2022/23 squad had to be overhauled at the end of that season due to numerous important loan players such as Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey, Rodrigo Muniz, Ryan Giles, Alex Mowatt and Zack Steffen returning to their respective clubs, the club knew they had to rethink their transfer strategy.

Head of football Kieran Scott admitted that Boro had learned from that, and as such, decided to move away from filling their squad with a host of loan signings, and instead looking to do permanent deals wherever they could.

That change in approach was reflected this summer, with Doak and George Edmundson being the only two temporary signings the club made, and both came in the final hours of the window to help put the finishing touches on a strong few months of spending.

Should Doak take his current level of performances into the rest of the season, Boro would likely only have any realistic chance of seeing him represent the club beyond this term if they win promotion to the Premier League.

Even then, that may not be a given. Should he be made available for a loan move once again next summer, top clubs across European football will surely come calling.

Middlesbrough need other playmakers to consistently contribute

As such, Middlesbrough must ensure that they see consistent production out of their other creative players this season. Not just because Doak likely won't be a Boro player beyond 2025, but because if they are to win promotion this term, they mustn't become overly one-dimensional in attack.

News of Doak's ability and threat on the ball will have spread to every Championship club by now, and as such, opposition managers will be constructing game-plans specifically centered around stopping him from imposing his will on the match.

Therefore, in the event of an afternoon where the opposition are able to silence him, or worse, he was to suffer an injury that sidelined him for an extended period of time, Carrick must be able to formulate new strategies and be able to turn to others to get the job done.

In terms of other options on the right, Isaiah Jones is going through perhaps his worst spell of form in his Middlesbrough career so far this season, whilst Marcus Forss has struggled to stay fit during his time at the Riverside, and summer signing Micah Hamilton is a player Boro be patient with.

As such, it will be imperative to their success this season that the likes of Riley McGree, Finn Azaz, Tommy Conway and Emmanuel Latte Lath can keep performing with and without Doak in the team.

So, whilst it's brilliant to see Doak ripping up Championship defences, creating and scoring goals and winning Boro games, Middlesbrough can't expect him to do it on his own every week.

Their recent 4-1 win over QPR should provide Carrick with the reassurance that he needs in that regard, as despite Doak being quieter in the second half, his side was still able to score two goals and punish a struggling Hoops side.

Boro have a gem in Doak, and he's an advantage to them in the time that he's at the Riverside Stadium and available to play, but it's a long season and there needs to be a reliance on Plan B, as well as the dazzling Plan A.