Michael Carrick knows what Middlesbrough 2023/24 issue is and needs Steve Gibson's help to solve it: View | OneFootball

It has been a frustrating season for Middlesbrough in the Championship.

After losing to Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals last season, Boro made a slow start to the campaign, failing to win any of their first seven league games.

Michael Carrick's side have improved significantly since then, but inconsistency has plagued them throughout the season, and it has proven to be costly in their pursuit of another top six finish.

Boro have been in excellent form of late, but their nine-game unbeaten run came to an end as they were beaten 4-3 by Leeds United at the Riverside Stadium on Monday night.

It was an impressive performance from Boro, and they will feel aggrieved that the Whites' third goal was allowed to stand, despite Wilfried Gnonto being in an offside position.

The defeat means that the Teessiders can no longer make the play-offs this season, as they currently sit ninth in the table, nine points from the top six with just two games remaining.

Boro are back in action when they take on Cardiff City in South Wales on Saturday before they host Watford on the final day, and Carrick will be hoping that his side can finish the season strongly.

Speaking after the defeat against Leeds, Carrick said that inconsistency and injuries have been a big problem for Boro this season, but he believes there is reason for optimism for next term.

"One hundred percent, there’s a lot to build on," Carrick told The Northern Echo.

"It’s credit to everyone really. After the last week or so, and where we found ourselves, then this game (against Leeds) could easily have been one of those games where you accept that it is what it is.

"I’ve seen it loads of times towards the end of a season, but the boys are not like that and they showed that. They’ve shown that we’re building something.

"It’s been a stop-start year with the injuries and players coming in and out, that’s made it difficult, but the boys have applied themselves fantastically well and have just started to get some rewards for it. We didn’t in this game with the result, but performance-wise, there were definitely loads of positives."

It is difficult to disagree with Carrick's assessment of his side's campaign, and owner Steve Gibson must now provide his head coach with backing in the summer transfer market to address some of the issues.

Steve Gibson must deliver strong summer transfer window at Middlesbrough

Boro adopted a policy of recruiting mainly young or inexperienced players in the summer transfer window, so some inconsistency should perhaps have been expected this season.

After key players such as Zack Steffen, Ryan Giles, Aaron Ramsey, Cameron Archer, and Chuba Akpom departed in the summer, it was always going to be tough for the new arrivals to replace their quality, and with many having never played in the Championship previously, they needed time to adapt to the level.

The likes of Rav van den Berg, Lukas Engel, and Sammy Silvera have all developed over the course of the campaign, and no player better epitomises Boro's improvement in recent months than Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Latte Lath found it difficult initially after his arrival from Atalanta in the summer, but after returning from injury in February, he has been in outstanding form, scoring nine goals in his last 12 games, taking his tally to 16 for the season.

The 25-year-old's confidence was clear to see as he netted twice against Leeds on Monday night, and he could be the man to lead Boro's promotion charge next season.

Carrick is also right to point to the number of injuries his side have had this season, with Seny Dieng, Tommy Smith, Dael Fry, Darragh Lenihan, Alex Bangura, Hayden Hackney, Lewis O'Brien, Marcus Forss, Riley McGree, Josh Coburn and Latte Lath all having lengthy spells on the sidelines.

It would be hard for any manager to cope with such a lengthy injury list, but Boro have looked much stronger with some of their key men available again, and keeping players out of the treatment room will be crucial if they are to challenge next season.

As Carrick says, Boro's recent form offers plenty of hope for next season, but Gibson must give him the funds to bring in more depth and quality this summer in order to solve the problems he has faced this campaign.

Boro's recruitment of youth last summer is certainly starting to pay dividends, but the addition of a few proven Championship players who can come in and make an immediate impact would make Carrick's men a force to be reckoned with next term.

It seems likely that Gibson will back Carrick in the market this summer, and if he does, Boro will be among the favourites for promotion in the second tier next season.