'Very good players' - Leeds United assessed by Michael Carrick ahead of Middlesbrough as Elland Road claim made
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has said he is expecting a ‘tough’ game against Leeds United and has labelled the Whites as a ‘good team’. Daniel Farke’s side welcome Boro to Elland Road on Tuesday evening as they look to build on their 2-0 home win over Derby County over the weekend.
Centre-back Joe Rodon opened the scoring on 39 minutes against the Rams. Fellow defender Max Wober then got himself on the scoresheet shortly after and there were no more goals in the second half as the hosts ran out comfortable winners in the end to boost their promotion push back to the Premier League. Carrick is gearing up for a tricky test against Leeds at Elland Road and has had this to say: "It's a tough place again, we know what Leeds are about, they're a good team with some very good players. We'll take some confidence from Friday and the spell that we're having and keep trying to improve."
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSpeaking after their 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor, he said: “If you go into the changing room, there's a tinge of disappointment, which is a good sign for me. The boys are a bit disappointed that we haven't won the game, albeit respectful and accepting the way the game was and how tight it was in some aspects. We're striving for more, we're hoping for more. Tonight we couldn't quite get it but we'll certainly take it and use it as a positive going into the games coming up."
He added: "They're very good defensively, Scotty [Parker] has got them really well organised, not giving a lot away at all through the whole season really. It shows some of our play at times was really good and I think we're a little bit disappointed that we haven't had another goal. But maybe they're similar. They had moments around our box as well."
Middlesbrough story so far
Middlesbrough currently find themselves in 5th place in the Championship table and are inside the play-offs along with Burnley, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers. They have lost once in their last six games and will be in confident mood as they prepare for their journey to West Yorkshire.
Carrick, who is 43-years-old, has been in charge at the Riverside Stadium since 2022 and the club’s hierarchy have stuck with him. As a player, the ex-England international had spells at West Ham and Manchester United and played over 700 games before hanging up his boots in 2018.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe was handed his first coaching role at Old Trafford after retiring as part of their coaching staff along with Kieran McKenna under Jose Mourinho. The North East-born man later worked with Ole Gunnar Solskjær with the Red Devils before he had a caretaker spell in charge in 2021.
Since moving to Middlesbrough, Carrick has won exactly 50% of matches in charge. He has won 54 of his 108 games at the helm and will be eager for his team to cause Leeds some issues. They have some bright talents like Ben Doak and Tommy Conway.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.