This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Player view’ series, this content strand is where we put ourselves in the shoes of a given player, and offer an opinion-based outlook on the perspective on the situation at hand...

Up until this point, it has been difficult to know quite what to make of Middlesbrough under Jonathan Woodgate.

The new boss has been clear that he is trying to change the style of play completely at the North East club and that was always going to mean a rocky period.

Boro had seemed to have found a way to grind out results between mid-August and mid-September, going on a four-game unbeaten run that included two wins, however, two losses in their last two games has seen them slip back down the table into 19th.

The 4-1 hammering at the hands of Garry Monk’s Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday was perhaps the low point in a season that has been underwhelming, to say the least.

The visitors grabbed four goals inside the first 35 minutes and, despite an early goal of their own through Paddy McNair, it was a dismal display by Boro.

One man for whom there may be positives to take from Saturday’s performance is Daniel Ayala.

The 28-year-old has been a great servant to the North East club, making almost 200 appearances for the Teessiders since joining from Norwich City five years ago.

With Aden Flint leaving late in the transfer window, the Spaniard must’ve felt he would be an integral figure at the heart of Boro’s defence this season and so it had proved up until Saturday.

Ayala had started all but two of his side’s Championship games this season and taken the captain’s armband in many of those but was dropped by Woodgate for the visit of the Owls.

The Boro boss preferred instead to use a centre-back pairing of Dael Fry and Ryan Shotton, perhaps indicating the pecking order of central defenders at the Championship club.

However, Ayala’s omission did not last long and the Spaniard was brought on at half time to add some defensive solidity and ensure that things didn’t get really ugly.

He appears to have helped do just that, as Boro did not concede in the second half.

Following Saturday’s result, you would imagine that Woodgate will be looking to change things up against Preston North End in midweek and may be reconsidering who his centre-back pairing will be moving forward.

With two games in the next five days, Ayala is surely set to start at least once and you would imagine he will be determined to prove that he deserves to be first choice.

Fry has come straight back into the side after recovering from injury, starting in every game since, and it appears he is Woodgate’s number one centre-back.

Following the poor defensive display in his absence, Ayala will undoubtedly be looking to make the most of his opportunities this week, cement his place in the side alongside Fry.

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