The secret Middlesbrough plan Southampton’s analyst uncovered | OneFootball

The commentator has provided some intriguing insight into what Southampton's spy saw at Boro's training ground.

When Southampton were spying on Middlesbrough's training session, it was clear that the South Coast club were trying to gain an advantage over their opponent, but what exactly did they see?

The Saints sent their first-team analyst intern up to Boro to observe their opponent before the play-off first leg at the Riverside Stadium, leading to him being caught filming behind a tree.

While the two sides drew the first leg, it was Tonda Eckert's men who triumphed in the second, defeating the Teessiders 2-1 after extra time.

Of course, we all know what has happened since, but now it has been revealed exactly what the intern analyst would have seen when at Rockliffe Park.

Gary Weaver reveals Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz plan

Defeating Southampton was never going to be simple. The Saints were the form side of the Championship, having gone 19 league games unbeaten, with their last defeat to Hull City in January.

Eckert's men were seeping with confidence leading into the first leg, and they were quite rightly many people's favourites to earn immediate promotion to the Premier League.

What makes the South Coast club so dangerous is their free-flowing attacking game, while they have several attacking gems who can hurt opposition, including Leo Scienza, Ross Stewart and Finn Azaz.

Ironically, Azaz spent a year and a half at the Riverside before signing for Southampton last summer, and now it has been revealed that his former club had a plan to get the better of him.

Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver was speaking as a guest on the Essential EFL podcast and provided some compelling insight on what Saints' spy would have seen at Rockliffe Park.

"I spoke to someone very, very high up at Middlesbrough who was there that day," said Weaver.

"I spoke to them the day after it happened because we were doing the play-off first leg, and they said that it's matchday minus two, they call it, doing their tactical work.

"The person there from Southampton saw how they were going to press Southampton, they saw how they were going to play out from Southampton's press, and they also saw how they were going to deal with Finn Azaz. They had a bit of a plan to try and negate Finn Azaz."

Did Boro's Azaz plan work?

Obviously, Middlesbrough's overall plan to defeat Southampton did not work as they were beaten, but how did Azaz fare in both legs of the play-off semi-finals?

Eckert's side were generally off the pace at the Riverside, taking a beating from Boro, who were unable to find a much-needed breakthrough.

Azaz certainly had a below-par evening on Teesside, having 32 touches, while he did not manage any touches in the opposition box or any shots, according to Futmob.

Furthermore, the 25-year-old failed to create a single chance and was beaten in 38 per cent of his ground duels with an xA (expected assists) of 0.01.

The second leg for Southampton and Azaz was a different story entirely, as Eckert's side dominated throughout, and despite conceding first, they always looked like winning.

Azaz was much more effective too, doubling his touches, while he managed one touch inside the opposition box and created seven chances, as per Futmob.

Although he failed to register a goal or assist, he notched three shots, including one on target, producing a performance worthy of having a plan to best him.

Now, that is all irrelevant, as it is Middlesbrough preparing for the play-off final with Hull, and while Azaz may still play Premier League football next season, it will not be with Southampton.