They paid the price for not taking their chances and for playing shoddy defense, but Michael Carrick will have a very fine squad on his hands if he can bring that one last element to his club and eliminate the errors in defence.
It’s a team that has many excellent players, including Finn Azaz.
The midfielder scored his first goal for the team at Deepdale last month after joining on a permanent basis from Aston Villa. He curled one shot into the top corner from range.
After netting seven goals and providing five assists for Plymouth Argyle in the first half of the season, the 23-year-old has only managed one assist and one goal in five Championship games for Boro.
The major acquisition for Middlesbrough last month was Azaz.
After an outstanding season and a half on loan at Plymouth Argyle, Boro paid a reported cost of £2.5 million for the midfielder. There are obviously signs of a quality talent in the making.
He is a very versatile midfielder who, with goals like the one he scored at Preston, and an all-around more offensive aspect to his game, can definitely complement players like Jonny Howson and Hayden Hackney surrounding him.
Following that, Phil Spencer, a reporter for talkSPORT and a supporter of Middlesbrough, offered his opinion on Azaz, predicting that he will eventually emerge as a “big player” for the club.
With the arrival of Azaz and a bevy of new players in the summer, Middlesbrough appears to have some strong foundations in place.
A strong spine is provided by Rav van den Berg at the back, followed by Azaz and Hackney for Middlesbrough; however, Carrick still needs a striker and must choose a goalie.
However, Azaz appears to be a very solid addition, and as Spencer points out, at 23, he has the potential to develop into a very useful and outstanding asset for Boro in the years to come.
He possesses all the qualities of a premier midfield player, including the ability to produce and score goals as well as the willingness to work hard in the middle of the pitch.
Middlesbrough, who are still in contention for the top six despite a seven-point deficit to sixth place, will have a real force in him if Carrick can persuade him to be as prolific as he was at Plymouth.
Middlesbrough’s next game is an afternoon trip to league leaders Leicester City.
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