Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick told to make big Latte Lath, Edmundson calls v Sheffield United | OneFootball

Boro were beaten 2-0 by Bristol City on Saturday, and changes must be made ahead of their clash with the Blades at home.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Middlesbrough head into Wednesday evening's Championship clash with Sheffield United off the back of a very disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bristol City at the weekend.

First-half goals from Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa saw the Robins take all three points at the Riverside Stadium in another game where Michael Carrick's side saw a lot of the ball without threatening their opponents with it.

Despite recording 69% possession, and having 20 shots, Boro hit the target only twice, as Max O'Leary in the Bristol City net registered his first away clean sheet of the season.

Middlesbrough know that they will have to be better in the week against the Blades as they start to face pressure from teams just below them in the Championship table, with changes to the starting XI likely.

Carrick urged to make changes to team

Boro have been too inconsistent at times this season, and have now lost three of their last five league matches, something that could lead Carrick to switching his team round both at the back and up front.

A lack of goals is plaguing the side currently, with only Preston North End, Swansea City and Cardiff City scoring less in their opening ten matches, while Coventry City, Plymouth Argyle and QPR have all scored the same number as Carrick's side, 10.

With such an important fixture ahead of them, we asked FLW's Middlesbrough Fan Pundit, Jasper Hudson, what changes he would make to the starting XI against Sheffield United.

"I think following defeat like that, you definitely have to make more than one change," he started. "I think the most obvious one is Tommy Conway, now he's back fit, I'd have him leading the line over Latte Lath who's just not scoring, he's really struggling at the minute.

"I think another change you could definitely make is bringing in Matt Clarke. Edmundson has been good up until now, but he was pretty poor on Saturday, and it is a good excuse to bring Clarke back. He’s one of the better defenders in the league and is definitely our second-best defender.

"There's other changes you can make as well. We could potentially bring in more clinical players like Marcus Forss, but I feel like with him coming back from injury he definitely has to feature off the bench. I don't think he'll be able to start and McGree has to come back into the lineup on the left wing, we're just such a better team with him."

Jasper continued: "So, I’d definitely bring in Conway up front and potentially Clarke at left centre-back for Edmundson. Those would be the two obvious changes.

"I feel like we're also potentially a bit weak at left back, but against a team like Sheffield United it's hard to justify bringing in a youth player. It feels a bit harsh on Neto Borges to bring in George McCormack against Sheffield United who are very good, so that's one when you need your seasoned and experienced players to take charge.

"So, it feels like on merit and performance he probably should come in, but maybe not because of the nature of the game against Sheffield United."

Latte Lath has been extremely disappointing this season

There has been a lot of focus on Latte Lath's performances recently, and for good reason, as his goal drought has now reached the nine game mark.

It's been a really torrid opening two months for the striker who scored 16 goals in the Championship last season, and with Conway's return to fitness, Wednesday seems like the correct time to make the swap.

Despite having 26 shots, Latte Lath has found the back of the net just once in 2024/25, a penalty against Swansea in Middlesbrough's first game of the campaign.

With an xG rate of 4.14, it is clear to see that the 25-year-old has been extremely wasteful with his chances in front of goal, and it is only fair to give their second-choice the opportunity to get his season going.

In fact, a spell out of the starting XI could be the perfect way for Latte Lath to get back to his very best and earn his place in the team rather than perhaps expecting to be there after his exploits in 2023/24.