"We are one of the best" - Finn Azaz reveals punchy Middlesbrough FC admission | OneFootball

Finn Azaz believes Middlesbrough are one of the best teams in the league .

Finn Azaz has claimed that his Middlesbrough side are "one of the best" in the Championship after successive victories over Stoke City and Derby County.

Michael Carrick's side had been on a dreadful run of form in 2025 with just two wins in their opening 10 fixtures of the calendar year. This saw pressure mount on Carrick, although consecutive league victories have reignited Boro's play-off push.

The arrival of a more favourable run of games has been a welcome boost for the head coach, with Boro securing back-to-back wins over the Potters and Rams.

The victory over John Eustace's side was particularly crucial, as, despite being frustrated for much of the game, they broke the deadlock in the 80th minute, with Azaz’s powerful volley ensuring all three points.

This victory takes them to within two points of sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion, and with upcoming fixtures against teams struggling at the bottom, the Boro faithful will be hopeful of securing a play-off spot come May.

Finn Azaz's bold Middlesbrough FC claim

Speaking to The Northern Echo after Saturday's win, match-winner Azaz expressed the immense effort his side have put in to recover from a patchy run of form which had appeared to have undone their campaign.

On an individual note, the 24-year-old has enjoyed inspired form at the Riverside Stadium. This season, only Leeds United striker Joel Piroe has notched more goal involvements across the Championship than Azaz, who has registered 10 strikes and 10 assists apiece.

"There’s going to be dips in a Championship season," said Azaz.

"We know how hard it is to maintain the levels. We know we’ve had a tough run, but we’ve done everything we can to come through it. We’ve tried to work as hard as we can to rectify that, and in the last couple of games we’ve managed to do that. To come out of a tough run is great.

"We knew we would come out of the bad run because we’ve proven we are one of the best teams (in the Championship), and we all have that inner belief.

"As a team, we’ve stuck together and tried as hard as we can to ignore the outside noise. We knew we’d come out of it."

Finn Azaz has belief in his Middlesbrough FC side

With 11 games remaining, Middlesbrough are still firmly in the race, and supporters will be delighted to see that they have just one of the top four left to play.

In addition, they have fixtures remaining against play-off rivals, including Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, and a final-day clash with Coventry City.

These fixtures could make all the difference and speaking about their hopes for the rest of the season, Azaz continued: "I hope this is the start of a run. I’ve got all the belief this team is one of the best teams in the division. If we maintain our levels, I’ve got all the belief we can go on a great run.

"The belief in the dressing room has been high all season. We know and we’ve proven we’re good enough to be there as a team, and we have all the belief.

"As long as we focus on ourselves, we will be fine. It might be cliched, but I genuinely believe if we maintain the levels (shown against Stoke and Derby) to the last game, we will get in the play-offs. We will be looking to win every game."

Arguably, Carrick has been given "one of the best teams," and should he fail to secure a top-six spot, the Riverside faithful will undoubtedly be frustrated. However, with a favourable fixture list and a positive run of results, Boro appear to be back on track to secure a play-off place.