Jeremie Aliadiere sends advice to Emmanuel Latte Lath amid Middlesbrough struggles | OneFootball

The former Boro striker has some words of wisdom for the Riverside's current number nine.

Emmanuel Latte Lath has had a disappointing start to the 2024/25 campaign.

The 25-year-old has scored just once in the first nine games of the Championship season for Middlesbrough, a far cry from the 16 he netted during his first year at the Riverside in 2023/24, but former Boro striker Jeremie Aliadiere has told Michael Carrick to keep the faith with his number nine.

While he has not quite hit the heights that many expected him to in the first two months of the campaign, Carrick is yet to drop him out of the squad completely. He has started all but one of Boro's league matches, coming off the bench against Cardiff City in the only game that he did not play in from the off.

He was benched for that early season clash due to transfer interest from Premier League side Ipswich Town, arriving in South Wales after the rest of the team.

Nevertheless, any potential move is now on hold until January at the earliest, and with his goal-scoring form so poor, there will be pressure on Latte Lath to improve before he is dropped from the starting XI.

Jeremie Aliadiere gives opinion on Latte Lath struggles

The Ivorian striker was fantastic during his first year in the Championship, and quickly adapted to the English division after making a €5 million switch to the Riverside last August.

But this season has been tough, and Middlesbrough have had to rely on goals from other areas of the pitch to help them win points.

While it is proving to be a difficult time for Latte Lath, it is one that a former resident of the Riverside, Aliadiere, will have seen before.

Asked what advice he has for the struggling Boro striker, he said: "It's confidence, it really is. It may take one or two goals, and he can be back scoring week in week out.

"Boro must continue to create chances and Latte Lath can then be in the right place to score goals. Keep working hard at your game, I would say. The goals will come, I am sure."

Latte Lath has plenty of time to find form

Although it has been a tough season for Latte Lath, there is still more than enough time to fix his current goal-scoring woes and get himself firing once again.

His xG rate of 3.33 is the 7th highest in the Championship so far, and while he has been wasteful, it proves that he is getting himself into the right positions to have chances.

He has had 21 shots in his first nine appearances, but has only hit five of those on target, and improving that statistic quickly will help him in his attempts to start scoring.

His only goal in 2024/25 came on the opening weekend, firing his penalty past Swansea City's Lawrence Vigouroux to give Middlesbrough their first three points of the campaign.

Another spotkick could be the perfect way to end his current goal drought, but this is not a certainty, and while Aliadiere has told Boro to continue with Latte Lath in the team, slowly but surely frustrations from the stands will start to boil over.