Middlesbrough must enact Stoke City revenge or risk a Riverside revolt: View | OneFootball

The Potters return to the Riverside a month after their 5-0 cup win over Boro, as frustration over results and style of play is growing on Teesside.

Middlesbrough welcome Stoke City back to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, just a month on from when the Potters handed Boro a 5-0 thumping in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

A Million Manhoef double and goals from Emre Tezgel, Ryan Mmaee and Lewis Koumas ensured it would be an embarrassing night on Teesside for Boro, and one that many Middlesbrough fans will wish they could forget.

Since then, Michael Carrick's side have won just one of their last three fixtures, with frustrations from large sections of the fanbase starting to build over Middlesbrough's inability to break teams down, despite enjoying the lion's share of chances and possession.

Those frustrations grew even larger and more vocal after last weekend's disastrous Wear-Tees Derby defeat to Sunderland. As such, the mood around the club is far from a happy one.

So, with question marks over his tactics, team selections and Boro's promotion credentials, Carrick and his team must enact their revenge on the Potters this weekend, or else the Riverside could begin to turn nasty...

Carrick's side must deliver three points on Saturday

Come the close of the summer transfer window - a window which many Boro fans felt was the club's strongest in some time - optimism was rife among those connected with Middlesbrough that 2024/25 could well be the season that finally sees the club make its return to the Premier League.

It still could well be, but Boro's mixed bag of early season results and the accompanying style of play has garnered criticism from growing sections of the fanbase and has certainly poured water on the promotion flame.

For many, however, and as further context as to the importance of earning a positive result this weekend, Middlesbrough's most recent outing against Sunderland was their worst performance of the Championship season so far.

Carrick's side once again controlled the majority of the ball, but yet again could not punch through a well-organised defensive block. The lack of speed and urgency at which Boro moved the ball was of great frustration too.

Middlesbrough's slow build-up play ensured that overload situations on the flank either didn't arise or were swiftly closed before they could be exploited. It also meant that Sunderland's defensive block could easily mirror the ball, ensuring the route to goal was never clear.

To have just one shot on target in any game of football will inevitably garner criticism from supporters, but to produce that in a game of football that means that extra bit more to people, was fairly unforgivable for many Teessiders.

The pressure is now firmly on Carrick and his players off the back of that result, as an expecting Riverside crowd awaits a reaction. If they don't get it, it could become a cauldron of noise for all the wrong reasons.

Stoke will be a different proposition to the team Boro faced a month ago

In the away dugout on the night that Stoke City put five past Middlesbrough was Steven Schumacher, but one thing is for certain, he won't be there on Saturday.

That's because the Potters took the surprising decision to sack the former Plymouth boss and replace him with Norwich City first-team coach Narcis Pelach.

The 36-year-old Catalan had worked in English football for four years prior to being handed the reins at the bet365 Stadium, having spent time working at Huddersfield Town before his move to Carrow Road just over a year ago.

Pelach's first game in charge was in a 3-1 home defeat to Hull City on 20 September; not a great introduction to the Potters faithful. As a result, he will surely have his team fired up to deliver an immediate response against a Boro side still licking their wounds from a Derby Day defeat.

Since Stoke's 5-0 dispatching of Middlesbrough one month ago, they have only won once in the league and needed penalties to progress past League Two side Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup.

The Potters may well choose to set up with what has been Middlesbrough's kryptonite on Saturday, a mid-low block, in the hopes of getting the home crowd on their team's back.

Stoke did a league double over Boro last season, with the Teessiders failing to beat the Potters in the league since April 2022.

Another loss at their hands could make this weekend's game particularly uncomfortable for Carrick and his players.