MIDDLESBROUGH: Mistakes prove costly as Boro misfire against top-half opposition once again

So while Garry Monk is right to cite senseless individual errors as the main explanation for Saturday’s resounding 3-0 defeat to Derby County, there is clearly a wider issue at work.

There is a lot to be said for beating the teams you’re expected to beat with a minimum of fuss, but with more than a third of the season gone, Boro are yet to produce a convincing performance against any of their promotion rivals. Unless that changes, it is hard to see how their dream of an instant return to the Premier League can become a reality.

At the moment, it is a case of one step forward with a win over limited opposition, followed by one step back as soon as a side in the top half of the table appears on the opposite side of the field.

Wednesday’s win over Birmingham showcased Boro’s ability to brush aside a team that could well find themselves playing in League One next season, but it was immediately undone by an inability to back it up with a win over a Derby side that have gradually found their form under Gary Rowett. Alarmingly, the same thing happened when wins over Reading, Hull and Sunderland were followed by a limp and lacklustre display against Leeds.

“This was a big opportunity for us,” admitted a commendably candid Ben Gibson. “It was our first chance for a while to really take a big step and put ourselves in the mix. We’ve let it slip by and wasted it, and you can’t afford to do that in this league.

“We just haven’t been able to take that next step forward. You look at this game, and it was a massive opportunity to put ourselves right in the mix. If we’d won here, we would have won five out of six, and people would have been looking at us and saying, ‘Right, they’re on a really good run now’.

“We’ve wasted that opportunity. The season is not over and there’s still a hell of a long way to go, but if we are going to achieve anything, we have to change something now. We have to eradicate these mistakes. I can’t fault the lads’ work ethic or attitude, it’s quite simply individual mistakes, and that’s something we have to stop.” 

It was individual errors that ultimately proved decisive at the weekend, but even when Boro were dominating in the first half, some fundamental flaws were apparent.

Tracking runners into the box has been an issue all season, and while Matej Vydra displayed impressive composure to fashion a slick one-two with David Nugent before dispatching a crisp finish past Darren Randolph to break the deadlock, the fact he was allowed to advance unchallenged was alarming.

Similarly, while Scott Carson was forced to produce a fine early save to deny Britt Assombalonga at the other end, that was the Derby goalkeeper’s only involvement despite Boro’s first-half dominance. All too often, Assombalonga was the only home player in the box when a ball was delivered from the flank, and if Monk is to stick with his policy of playing two wide players, there is surely an argument for either playing two orthodox centre-forwards or abandoning one holding midfielder to provide more attacking support.

That said, however, when Boro went in at the interval, they were still well and truly in the game. That changed because of a series of horrendous mistakes, with some of the Teessiders’ most experienced players the most culpable.

What on earth was Martin Braithwaite thinking when his errant pass two minutes into the second half allowed Nugent to release Vydra into the area? Presumably, he was struck by the same bout of brain freeze that resulted in Daniel Ayala upending the Czech striker to concede the penalty that enabled Derby to double their lead.

That was ridiculous, but when it came to Ayala, much worse was to follow. Fortunate to remain on the pitch after conceding the spot-kick given that he had already been booked in the first half, Ayala did referee Simon Hooper’s job for him when he nonsensically clattered into Nugent from behind close to the halfway line. It was a ridiculous challenge at a time when a recovery was still possible, and resulted in a thoroughly deserved red card.

That still wasn’t that in terms of mistakes though, with Gibson’s back-pass placing Randolph under pressure, and the Boro goalkeeper spooning a mishit clearance into the air that enabled Vydra to complete his hat-trick.

“I think we are generally solid,” said Gibson. “Teams aren’t really playing through us, and there’s not many times this season where you could say we’ve been cut open.

“All the goals have been daft mistakes. Is it a concentration thing? I don’t know. Is it a not being good enough thing? I certainly don’t think it’s that because we’ve got the players. It has to be a concentration thing, and as a team and individually, we have to resolve that.

“It’s not good enough to keep saying, ‘Oh, it’s another individual mistake’. If you’re to get anywhere, then somewhere down the line, you have to put it right. We can’t be accepting of it. It’s very frustrating. You don’t know why it’s happening, but it’s happened yet again and we have to put it right.”

Ironing out individual errors is one of the most challenging tasks in football, but Monk will surely have to take another look at the make-up of his defensive units. Dael Fry will return in place of the suspended Ayala when Boro visit Bristol City this weekend, and the England Under-21 international deserves another chance to claim an extended run in the side. Having pushed so hard to sign Ryan Shotton this summer though, it is strange that Monk is not even naming the former Birmingham centre-half in his squad.

In front of the back four, Adam Clayton returned from a six-game absence at the weekend and looked rusty. Grant Leadbitter was the mainstay of Middlesbrough’s midfield when they embarked on their recent winning run – why was he suddenly dropped when Boro were already without the suspended Jonny Howson?

Ultimately, though, it is about experienced players taking responsibility for their actions. As Monk is no doubt opining, surely that is not too much to ask?

“We’re honest with each other in there,” said Gibson. “You have to have that. I’m not going to say who says what, but people in there talk, of course they do. We set standards and we have leaders in there who demand certain standards and a certain level of play.

“We have to demand more of each other, and that starts now. We have to go home, look at ourselves in the mirror, and make sure we get more out of each other and ourselves because that’s not good enough. It’s not what this club expects, and it’s not what this club deserves.”