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Middlesbrough have endured a torrid start to their campaign, dropping to 20^thin the Championship after their loss to Birmingham City on Friday night. They have become accustomed to at least challenging for the play-off spots in recent years in the Championship; finishing fourth, second, fifth and seventh in their last four seasons in the competition, however, they have struggled to kickstart their campaign thus far and now find themselves in a precarious situation.

Daniel Ayala spoke about the situation following their defeat in Birmingham, stating: “We have to all do better as players and as a team and we have to start to pick up points quickly.” – as per the Gazette Live. In order to pick up points regularly players such as Ayala who have a wealth of experience both at the club and at the required level could be key.

As Middlesbrough underwent a managerial change over the summer, with Jonathan Woodgate taking over the reins from Tony Pulis, experienced players will have a big influence on the team’s performances as Woodgate tries to implement his style of football on the team. Well respected players who have been at the club for a while must buy in to the manager’s philosophy and bring some stability to the dressing room if Boro are to turn their fortunes around this season.

The likes of Ayala, Ryan Shotton and Adam Clayton could be vital for Woodgate, with all of them having a wealth of experience and having spent several years at the club. Both Ayala and Clayton were main stays in the Middlesbrough side that gained promotion to the Premier League in 2015/16 so there is no doubting their loyalty to the club and quality with both having played at Premier League level.

Furthermore, despite Aden Flint also playing a big part, both Shotton and Ayala heavily featured in the defence that conceded the least Championship goals last term. Due to the change in managerial styles that has taken place and sees Middlesbrough trying to play slightly more expansively, they have conceded 16 in their opening 11 games, which is not a good record when compared to last year. With tough games against West Brom, Fulham and Derby County following the international break, the task will not get any easier for Boro.

However, the season is far from unsalvageable. In Britt Assombalonga they have a proven goal scorer who has bagged 33 league goals since joining in 2017 and, as mentioned previously, the spine of the team that conceded so few goals last season still remains and if they can get some type of form together with a result against one of the sides towards the top of the table, they could begin to climb the league.

Experience will be key as the tactical transition continues and Woodgate will be hoping that he can rely on some of the senior players to help the squad through the tough patch they currently find themselves in.