There has been no definitive answer as to when the current football season will finish, the only thing fans and players alike know as of yet is at the very minimum it won’t be until April 3rd. This is of course a huge negative but if the football season is to be played out, the break may give Middlesbrough the perfect opportunity to get themselves out of the predicament they currently find themselves in.
Here are three reasons why CoronaVirus could prove to be beneficial in Jonathan Woodgate’s side’s battle against the drop into League One.
Injuries
Throughout his first campaign as Boro boss Jonathan Woodgate has been extremely unlucky with injuries. As the season has progressed it has seemed as though Woodgate has had to sit back and watch his side suffer injury, after injury, after injury and for the most part to crucial first team players.
None more so than central-defender Daniel Ayala and Manchester City loan star Patrick Roberts. Both of which could be deemed as first names on the team sheet.
Without Ayala, Boro are vulnerable and weak at the back and lack a real presence that the Spainaird can provide. Throughout his time at the club Ayala has always suffered injuries around the month of January and the same recurring injury has struck again this time round. In fact since Ayala hobbled off away at Preston in January, his side have only managed one win.
In Patrick Robert’s case he gives the team that X-factor that the attacking line has been crying out for. Despite only featuring a handful of times since his January switch, Roberts has already displayed all of the assets which made City purchase the winger at such a young age. His pace, skill and direct nature played a part in him winning two penalties in two seperate games during his time in the team and also helped take Premier League side Spurs back to their ground after a draw at The Riverside in the FA Cup.
Jonathan Woodgate will certainly be delighted that should the season resume he has the scheduled returns of two of his best and most valuable players in build-up to the battle to stay in the Championship.
Formation
One of the main criticisms Jonathan Woodgate has received this season is his constant chopping and changing of the formation. Since his first press-conference when he outlined his intentions to play a 4-3-3, the formation has changed numerous times.
There has been five at the back, two up top, a midfield diamond and most recently a 4-2-3-1. The formation Aitor Karanka utilized so well during his time as head coach.
Indeed in one of Boro’s biggest wins of the season, Woodgate deployed a 4-2-3-1 with Hayden Coulson as a left-winger and Rudy Gestede as a target man and to be fair it worked.
Middlesbrough’s plan of getting their forward players in behind thanks to Rudy Gestede flick ons worked a treat and in the end, the 0-1 result seemed flattering to Charlton considering the amount of chances Woodgate’s forward thinking players missed.
Therefore, once the lockdown period is over the enforced break may give the head coach and his players the chance to work on the formation they have stumbled across and found their limited success with.
Bedding in January Recruits
Boro made four additions in January and two of the four had previously never even made an appearance in the Championship. Admittedly even for Patrick Roberts and Lukas Nmecha their experience of the league was very limited.
For Harold Moukoudi and Dejan Stojanovic the Championship is a whole new environment and most likely a totally different style to anything they have experienced before.
The Championship is an unforgiving physical league where anyone can truly beat anyone and by training and mixing with some veterans of the Championship in the squad it can only make a positive impact. Indeed, you’d assume this will prepare them for when football resumes.
Another common theme of the four signings was the distinct lack of game time all four had received before joining the club. In Stojanovic’s case this was due to a winter break. Unlike Mouokoudi, Nmecha and Roberts who were all seemingly deemed surplus to requirements and their previous sides.
Therefore, it would be presumed that some high intensity training with a group of players currently fighting for their lives in the Championship will only increase their fitness levels and sharpness once the resumes.
The Boro Way 