Blackburn!

[spudski]

I notice Blackburn lost to ' Boro yesterday.

Now that's a team that's going under the radar.

What a transformation Michael Carrick has made to them in his first managerial role.

Previous manager was playing 352 and losing.

He's come in and playing a form of 4231. 

Many people see 4 at the back as rigid. It certainly isn't these days. Boro play with flying fullbacks. 

I've often thought we have the players to play this type of system. 

Boro now 6th after being 22nd when Carrick took over.

Some great analysis here on the video included.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/michael-carrick-middlesbrough-championship-tactics-analysis-213923-20221229

[Mr Popodopolous]

9 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

We've deserved to win a lot of games

Hull

Wigan

Blackpool 

Burnley/Norwich deserved at least draws

Coventry 

Swansea

Sheff Utd

Watford

Stoke

Millwall

Win half of those games we deserved to win and we're comfortably in the play offs. 

At the moment we must be one of the unluckiest teams there is. We don't win games we should win. We don't get penalties we should get. We sometimes don't even pick up points from games we should win. We are constantly battling with injuries. Kalas and Baker both being out were huge blows. 

Whilst our position in the league isn't great. We are not where we should be. Bit more luck in some of those games and it's all good. I try to not lose sight of that. There is good happening behind the scenes, it's just not quite showing in the results. 

On top of our poor luck, we very rarely pick up points or wins in games where we don't deserve it. We don't get any smash and grabs. Middlesbrough is one of the only ones I can think of. We don't tend to get battered either. Birmingham is one of the only ones I can think of. 

I don't like to blame everything on luck but all of that is rather bizarre. 

 

 

Not sure we deserved to win at Hull or Wigan based on the balance if play although significant officiating calls went against us in both so it's hard to say.

Blackpool, well an individual error cost us but whether we deserved a win, dunno about that. We had more ball but they were quite attacking.

Norwich agree, Burnley less so.

Coventry? More ball but similar chances, hard to say.

Swansea- Well we had some chances but worth looking at the control they had 2nd half. 

XG for all of these games fwiw. (Experimental 361).

Hull 1.5- Bristol City 1.1 (penalty is a value of 0.8).

Wigan 1.7- Bristol City 0.6

Blackpool 2.3- Bristol City 1.5 (Unsure how an own goal is weighted in xG).

Norwich 1.4- Bristol City 1.2

Burnley 1.2- Bristol City 1.4

Bristol City 1.0- Coventry 0.9

Bristol City 1.0- Swansea 0.9

Bristol City 1.8- Sheffield United 0.5

Bristol City 0.6- Watford 0.1

Bristol City 1.4- Stoke 0.9

Agree we don't tend to get battered but aspects of Millwall at home we were badly pushed back, Reading away we had very few chances albeit ore possession.

We had less attempts and possession in our win at Rotherham btw, although they did score an own goal which again unsure how it is weighted.

Think we have a few points less than we should, especially at home.

[Mr Popodopolous]

In other words though I agree with a lot of your posts @W-S-M Seagull that just seems like red tinted glasses to me though officials have served us terribly this season. E.g. though I believe we were fortunate to get a point at Wigan, had Bennett been red carded as he should then it's a very different game.

At Hull balance of play suggested a draw at best IMO but the penalty perhaps changed matters, probably draw without it  whereas v 10 and a goal up at Wigan I fancy we win.

[Lew-T]

We absolutely pumped Blackburn that day at Ewood Park. Took the p*** basically, I thought after that day the play offs were a serious shout…