Boro's men at the back

THE winds of change are sweeping through the Riverside.

- 

After a long spell of being mainly regarded as an attacking unit, Boro can brag about their strongest defensive squad for a long, long time.

Suddenly Boro have the wealth of defensive riches which should make them much more difficult to break down.

It's something that Michael Carrick could only dream about - but it's something which changes the team's outlook completely.

With defensive injuries hitting hard throughout Carrick’s reign, the head coach never knew from one game to the next whether he would have four fit defenders.

Now, with careful work during the summer, and players at last returning from injury, Rob Edwards has the defensive platform to push on which the team has lacked in the past. It completely alters the perspective.

True, Carrick and Edwards are both coaches who like to play an attacking game. But it makes a massive difference knowing that you can put the emphasis on attack while knowing that there is a block of solidity if the opposition make a quick break.

While Carrick’s team might have needed to score three goals in a game to take the points, Edwards is much better positioned to win games by 1-0 - just as they did against Sheffield United.

It removes the pressure off the attack and gives the players more opportunity to play as a complete team, thus making Boro a different type of team for opponents to think about. No longer, hopefully, will they prove easy prey if they grow impatient while waiting to make the breakthrough at the other end of the pitch.