Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick stance ahead of Southampton win revealed | OneFootball

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Michael Carrick still reportedly had "unwavering support" from the Middlesbrough hierarchy ahead of Saturday's win over Southampton.

Last weekend saw Boro earn their first victory of the new term, beating the Saints 2-1 to pile even more pressure on their manager Russell Martin.

According to The Athletic, Carrick retained "unwavering support" at Boro despite his sides' torrid start to the 2023/24 campaign.

Victory over the Saints last weekend will have come as a relief to everyone at the Riverside, but Carrick was assured during conversations last week that his position within the club is safe.

The 2-1 win on Saturday was the side’s first since April, highlighting just how poor their form has been since failing to gain promotion to the Premier League last season.

How has Michael Carrick fared at Middlesbrough so far?

Carrick took the reins at Boro late last year and oversaw a remarkable turnaround in form to bring the team from a relegation battle to a top four finish in the table.

Middlesbrough were the second top scorers in the Championship last season, as they finished 16 points adrift of the automatic promotion places.

A 1-0 aggregate defeat in the play-offs to Coventry City ended their hopes of gaining a place back in the top flight.

But there was still plenty of optimism going into this season that Boro could compete for a top two position in the table.

However, a failure to win any of their first seven games has put a huge dent in their hopes for automatic promotion.

The gap to the top two is already 16, which could prove insurmountable barring an unstoppable run of form between now and May.

However, the play-off places are much closer, with eight points separating the relegation zone and the top six.

Carrick will be hoping that Saturday’s win against the Saints can kickstart their hopes of challenging for a place in the Premier League for next year.

Who are Middlesbrough’s upcoming opponents?

Their upcoming clashes could be quite important in that regard.

Middlesbrough get a break from the league action during the midweek, when they face Bradford City in the third round of the EFL Cup.

But a trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday begins an important run of games leading into the October international break that sees them also play Cardiff City and rivals Sunderland.

Nine, or even seven, points from those three games could be enough to transform their standing in the table.

However, failure to win those three games could be a huge dent in their play-off hopes.

Is Michael Carrick the person to lead Middlesbrough forward?

Carrick did exceptionally well last season, which is why he deserves time to turn things around this season.

Boro haven’t even played that poorly, but just haven’t quite got the results needed to keep pace with their rivals.

Carrick endured a difficult summer that saw a lot of key players depart to Premier League or even Champions League sides.

He deserves patience in turning things around at Boro, as he could be the manager to bring the club back to the Premier League if given the resources to compete.