Rob Edwards urged to make key tactical tweak for Ipswich Town clash - 'Chaotic' Kaly Sene tipped to start | OneFootball

FLW Middlesbrough's fan pundit has shared their thoughts on how Rob Edwards should line up his side against Ipswich Town on Friday.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards may need to alter his attack ahead of their Friday night clash at home to Ipswich Town, with Boro having struggled for goals in their last few fixtures.

Having sacked Michael Carrick in the summer after failing to finish in the play-off places last season despite earlier promise, Middlesbrough moved for former Watford and Luton Town boss Edwards to replace him.

Edwards had previously guided Luton to a fairytale promotion to the Premier League after beating Mark Robins' Coventry City in the play-off final on penalties in 2023, but following an immediate relegation back to the Championship, Edwards struggled to turn the Hatters' form around and was dismissed midway through last season.

Preferring a defensive back three system, expectations on Edwards and Middlesbrough were not set high ahead of this campaign, which has meant seeing them win their opening four matches and sit in second place after nine games has come as a surprise to many.

However, after hitting the ground running, Boro have stumbled in recent weeks, with just one win in their last five league games, and having scored just one goal in their last three.

Boro possess numerous dangerous attacking options, which have seen Edwards make minor tweaks on a game-by-game basis, and ahead of their match against a resurgent Ipswich Town on Friday, minor changes may need to be made once again.

Football League World's Middlesbrough fan pundit, Liam Day, has shared his thoughts on what changes he believes Edwards should make, if any, to his side's starting XI for their Friday night clash with Ipswich.

Liam said, "I think the forward line is the key area, realistically.

"It's not been clicking before; he's [Edwards] had time to sit down, sit back, reanalyse, see what he thinks works best, and hopefully he's found that.

"Personally, I think David Strelec has got to play a bit deeper. He seems much better when he is on the ball and having runners off him.

"So I'd put him out there with Tommy Conway in the main centre position, because he's at his best when leading the line and pressing defenders, and he should be doing that.

"I'd have Kaly Sene next to Tommy Conway. He can play as more of a winger, but I like him as a last-man-runner type of player.

"I feel like his pace is key; he's a bit of chaos, a bit like Emmanuel Latte Lath, but more controlled. He's had a good start.

"The rest can stay the same, realistically."

Middlesbrough have struggled for goals in their recent fixtures, with attacking tweaks needing to be made

Boro have struggled in front of goal in recent fixtures, having scored just once in their last three matches.

Sene's equaliser away at Southampton in late September was the last goal that the club scored, followed up by a 0-0 draw at home to Stoke City, and then a 1-0 away loss to Portsmouth.

Edwards has utilised the likes of Strelec, Conway, Sene, Morgan Whittaker, Sverre Nypan and Sontje Hansen from the start in his attacking front three in the last three games alone, with no real consistency in his selections in that period.

Middlesbrough will overall benefit from having the plethora of attacking options that they do, but a lack of consistency in his selections could lead to a lack of chemistry on the pitch.

Edwards must find his best attack and largely stick with it, which is of course easier said than done with the options at his disposal.