Middlesbrough: Sunderland pose serious threat to go-to Michael Carrick tactic - View | OneFootball

Boro like to dominate possession and the tempo of games, but in Dan Neil, Chris Rigg etc, Carrick's side may struggle to achieve that on Saturday.

Sunderland and Middlesbrough will go head-to-head for the first time in the 2024/25 season on Saturday afternoon, in what his set to be a hotly contested Wear-Tees Derby at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats come into the clash sitting second in the Championship, after defeat to Plymouth Argyle last weekend brought Black Cats supporters back down to earth after a fantastic start to the Regis Le Bris era on Wearside.

As for the Teessiders, Michael Carrick's men have endured more of a mixed bag of results through the early weeks of the season. Wins over Swansea and Cardiff respectively have been paired with a frustrating number of dropped points to the likes of Derby, Portsmouth, and most recently, Preston respectively.

But on Derby Day, form often goes out of the window, with the side who manages the blood and thunder of the occasion the best usually ending up on the winning side.

Middlesbrough love to dominate the ball and the tempo of games under Carrick, but with a plethora of top midfield players in the opposing dressing room, Sunderland will pose a serious threat to Boro's tactical approach.

Sunderland's midfield could derail Middlesbrough's gameplan

Under Carrick, Middlesbrough have morphed into a side that loves to control the ball, and ensure that where they can, games are played at their speed.

To do that, they've nurtured academy graduate Hayden Hackney out of the youth ranks, and developed the 22-year-old into one of the finest central midfielders in the Championship.

Jonny Howson has continued to be handed annual contract extensions despite being firmly in the twilight years of his career, acting as Carrick's midfield metronome during his tenure.

This summer saw the addition of US international Aidan Morris to Boro's crop of central midfield options, and the 22-year-old has been exceptional in the early stages of his Middlesbrough career.

All of those players have ensured that ball retention and winning the midfield battle has been something that Boro have become very good at, but at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, Carrick's side will face their stiffest test in that regard so far this season.

Sunderland's engine room consists of Dan Neil, Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham; three players who've all been tipped to enjoy the prime years of their careers playing at the top of the game, and who are all certainly among the best in the Championship in their respective roles.

Both Neil, Rigg and Bellingham possess superb all-round skill sets for central midfield players at second tier level. All three have the ability to be threats in attack, whilst also routinely nullifying opposition attacks with their tackling and breaking-up play ability.

In short, they present as being a nightmare for sides who so much of their tactical foundations are placed in possession of the ball, and controlling the middle of the park.

Having less of the ball may not be a bad thing for Middlesbrough

Sunderland fans will no doubt be confident that their midfield can overpower Middlesbrough's on Saturday, thus allowing the Black Cats to see more of the ball than their opposition. But that might not necessarily be a bad thing from a Boro perspective.

Referencing the above table, one can see somewhat of a surprising trend when it comes to large amounts of possession equating to results for Middlesbrough so far this season.

Boro have actually picked up the vast majority of their wins, and Championship points, when they've had less possession of the ball, deploying quick transitions and deadly counter-attacks to punish sides.

Therefore, although Carrick will surely want his team to see as much of the ball as possible, there is evidence to suggest that Middlesbrough may be better off soaking up pressure and looking to catch Sunderland out on the break.

Boro have bags of pace in their forward line, with Emmanuel Latte Lath, Tommy Conway, Isaiah Jones and Ben Doak all very quick, whilst Delano Burgzorg, Riley McGree and Micah Hamilton are no slouches either.

How the two sides will approach the game from a tactical standpoint is something we won't be sure of until the ball is rolling, but what we do know is that it looks set to be a fantastic and fascinating game of football in the North East this weekend.