Where AI thinks Middlesbrough will finish in the EFL Championship table with Steven Gerrard in charge | OneFootball

FLW has asked ChatGPT how Middlesbrough would get on if the former Rangers and Aston Villa boss takes over at The Riverside

Middlesbrough's great start to the season has hit a rough patch, as Steve Gibson is having to search for a new manager after Rob Edwards departed for Wolves.

Boro's points tally matches that of Leeds United's at this point last season, and is two more than Burnley had managed after 15 games, too. Both of those sides went on to pick up 100 points en route to promotion, but neither had to endure a managerial switch mid-season.

Rob Edwards made his return to Molineux, where he spent four years as a player and began his coaching career, this time as permanent manager, and whilst Boro fans are frustrated at his decision to leave less than five months after signing a three-year deal at The Riverside, they can't afford to lick their wounds for long.

The hunt for a new manager has begun, and former Rangers and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is reportedly on Boro's shortlist. Gerrard last managed in England in 2022 with Villa, and was recently in charge of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.

With Middlesbrough contending atop the Championship, it's important that the next manager comes in, maintains a fast start and finishes inside the top two come May. Can Gerrard be the man to do just that?

Football League World has turned to popular AI-based chat software, ChatGPT, to see how they feel Boro will fare if they turn to the Liverpool legend.

ChatGPT predicts Middlesbrough's league finish with Steven Gerrard in charge

Given Boro's start to the campaign, seeing them pick up 29 points in 15 games, AI believe that the squad has a lot of quality in it, despite the good work that Rob Edwards did during his brief time in charge.

ChatGPT stated that, despite finishing outside the play-offs in each of the last two seasons, Boro still have a "good base" when it comes to players. Under Michael Carrick, Middlesbrough were still up there challenging, showing that the group of players still have the potential to finish in the top six, and maybe even the top two.

However, AI does bring up Gerrard's record in his recent managerial roles. Despite going invincible with Rangers in the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership campaign, the 45-year-old wasn't able to continue that success in the Premier League or in Saudi Arabia.

Gerrard's win percentage at Villa Park was 32.5%, and at Al-Ettifaq it was 39%. ChatGPT feels that, given how competitive the Championship is this season, a return to management to immediately contend in a promotion battle could be a risk - one that doesn't pay off.

AI thinks that Middlesbrough won't be able to keep up with the pace of the top two with Gerrard in charge, despite currently holding a 29.2% chance of doing so, according to Opta.

But ChatGPT does believe that Boro will wind up finishing comfortably in the top six, with a fourth-place finish as the final prediction.

A top-four finish could be bittersweet for Middlesbrough

After consecutive years of finishing outside the top six, if you had offered Middlesbrough fans a place in the play-offs before the season began, they'd have easily taken it.

However, Boro have shown through the opening months of the campaign that they do have the potential to wind up in the top two, so to fall just short would be a bit of a disappointment.

And even though it isn't automatic, the play-offs still allow for promotion to be achieved, albeit if Middlesbrough's record in the play-offs is pretty poor, failing to be promoted in three attempts since the Championship was rebranded in 2004.

That's how AI sees things, anyway. If Gerrard is the man that Steve Gibson goes for in the coming weeks, then all eyes will be on him to see whether he can defy ChatGPT's predictions and finish in the top two.