3 things Middlesbrough will have clearly learnt following Saturday's 1-0 defeat v Sunderland | OneFootball

It was yet another frustrating afternoon in the Championship for Boro, as they failed to land a glove on the Black Cats.

Middlesbrough fell to a 1-0 Wear-Tees Derby defeat to Sunderland over the weekend, as frustrations over Boro's sloppy start to the 2024/25 Championship season only served to increase at the Stadium of Light.

Michael Carrick's side once again enjoyed the lion's share of possession, but a Chris Rigg backheel once again ensured that Boro would walk away from a match feeling shortchanged.

Middlesbrough's wasteful attacking performance was eerily similar to previous outings this season, and will no doubt have left the Boro boss with a lot to ponder as he prepares to take his side into the meat and bones of their Championship campaign.

On an afternoon where there was perhaps even more to take from the game, what were the three main things Middlesbrough will surely have learned after their defeat to the Black Cats? Football League World investigates...

Ben Doak has to be in the starting lineup

Throughout the early stages of the 2024/25 season, Carrick has stayed loyal towards and retained his faith in Isaiah Jones as his starting right-winger. But his performances have failed to repay that trust.

Despite a smart cross that was met by the head of Tommy Conway in the opening exchanges that he should've perhaps done better with, Jones' service into his teammates was largely poor once again.

After no improvements come the hour mark in the game, Carrick took the decision to withdraw Jones for his highly-rated Liverpool loanee Ben Doak, and the 18-year-old put in a cameo that should now make the Boro boss' mind up for him when it comes to picking his next starting XI.

Doak tried his best to drag his side back into the game, with direct runs, clever passes into dangerous areas, and proved a handful for the Sunderland defence to manage.

With minutes remaining, he delivered a fantastic left-footed cross to the back post that would've found the head of Delano Burgzorg if not for a brilliant intervention from a Sunderland defender.

The Scottish international hasn't come to Middlesbrough to sit on the bench, and with Jones doing little to show he warrants keeping his place in the starting lineup, Boro's upcoming home game vs Stoke City should see Doak unleashed from the off.

It's threatening to become the story of Middlesbrough's season; see the majority of the ball, and yet create few meaningful chances and fail to take them when they arrive.

You can see what Carrick and his team are trying to do, but that's also part of the issue, so can their opposition. Boro once again had the majority of the ball vs Sunderland, but finished the game with just one shot on target.

It's difficult not to draw comparisons to the same frustrations many England supporters had watching Gareth Southgate's England side, in that Boro have an abundance of attacking quality at their disposal, but they can't seem to find ways of breaking teams down.

It was a performance that no Middlesbrough fan would've been best pleased with on any occasion, let alone in a Derby game in which they witnessed their side run out 4-0 winners almost a year ago.

Carrick evidently wants his side to play games at their own speed and have his players dictate the tempo of matches, which is fine, but there has to be more urgency and quicker ball movement in the final third.

If not, defensive blocks can simply shift across the pitch and follow the ball, ensuring Boro can't craft overload situations on the flanks, whilst having the time to close any gaps in their defensive lines which could've been exploited had Middlesbrough worked it quicker.

After an impressive debut performance away at Cardiff City, summer signing Neto Borges looked like being the all-round left-back that Carrick had been searching for.

But, a mixed display against Preston North End - in which North End should've scored from Borges allowing Brad Potts to have a free run into the six-yard box before failing to get on the end of a cross - was followed up by a poor defensive showing at the Stadium of Light.

The Brazilian struggled to cope with former Middlesbrough winger Patrick Roberts all afternoon, as he routinely allowed the tricky wideman to cut-in on his stronger left-foot.

It was from that exact scenario in which Sunderland's goal came from, after Borges showed Roberts the space to cut-in on his left and fire his shot into the box, that after an attempted sliding intervention from George Edmundson diverted the ball into the path of Chris Rigg, who finished smartly with a backheel.

Whether it was through a lack of homework done on Roberts on Borges' part, or it simply being put down as poor defending, only Boro's left-back knows.

The former Clermont Foot defender did flash his ability to be a threat in attack though, with his most notable contribution being a fantastic whipped cross into the six-yard box in the first half, which Boro failed to capitalise on.

Allowing Borges the time to adapt to a new league and what Carrick wants from him is something that he must be granted the ability to do, but his performance against Sunderland certainly highlighted some potential weaknesses in his game that need addressing before Middlesbrough supporters will feel totally confident in their new recruit.