Neil Warnock's warning ahead of Nottingham Forest, Aitor Karanka's tactical switch plus another slow start from Middlesbrough: Birmingham City verdict

When the team sheet was released an hour before kick-off, it looked like Middlesbrough were back to full strength.

Neil Warnock's side were still without long-term absentees Ashley Fletcher and Grant Hall, as well as Marcus Browne who was stretchered off at Brentford last Saturday, yet the rest of the squad had overcome last week’s Covid-19 outbreak and deemed fit to play.

Seven changes were made to the side which started the FA Cup match at Brentford a week ago, when several first-team players were in self isolation.

A home meeting against a struggling Birmingham side, managed by former boss Aitor Karanka but who were winless in seven, will have therefore been viewed as a match the Teessiders were expected to win.

Clearly, though, Boro were hindered by what Warnock described as a ‘week from hell’ and his players looked unusually flat during an insipid 1-0 defeat.

The outbreak of the virus meant the club’s Rockliffe training ground was only reopened on Thursday, while poor weather conditions impeded preparations further.

Long-term impacts of the virus are also unclear, with some affected more than others. Newcastle, for example, are only just welcoming back a couple of first-team players who tested positive in November.

The aforementioned factors would make it easy to draw up a list of excuses for what was a tame Boro performance, yet there haven’t been many occasions this season when Warnock has been able to question a lack of fight.

Here, Boro looked sluggish, short of steel and off the pace. Their manager won’t accept that from his players, but was more understanding during his post-match press conference.

There won’t be any let-offs when Boro travel to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, though, especially as Boro have drifted four points off the play-off places.

“l’ll give them an excuse today but there are no excuses now,” warned Warnock after the match.

Slow starts are becoming a concern

Covid disturbances aside, Boro’s slow starts have been an issue for several weeks.

The Teessiders have conceded first in their last four league games - in the reverse fixture against Birmingham, at Sheffield Wednesday, Wycombe and now here.

Yet before the Blues took the lead, when Scott Hogan converted Maxime Colin’s low cross in the 26th minute, Warnock felt the visitors should have been reduced to ten men.

The incident he was referring to was when Blues winger Ivan Sanchez appeared to kick out at Paddy McNair. Sanchez’s swing of the leg wasn’t the most forceful and didn’t hurt McNair – yet, by the letter of the law, you could mount an argument for a red card.

Still, few could argue when Birmingham went ahead after Marcus Bettinelli’s clearance was won by a towering header from centre-back Harlee Dean, allowing Sanchez, Colin and Hogan to combine for the opener.

Karanka’s side moved the ball well in the first half as the Blues won the midfield battle, with Maikel Kieftenbeld, Ivan Sunjic and Jon Toral getting the better of George Saville, Sam Morsy and Lewis Wing.

The same couldn’t be said when Boro beat Birmingham 4-1 less than a month ago, when Blues midfielders Adam Clayton and Mikel San Jose were substituted at half time.

This time Warnock was forced to make changes at the interval, three of them, as Morsy, Wing and Chuba Akpom were withdrawn.

Boro’s best chance came when Morsy’s header hit both the bar and the post and somehow managed to avoid the raised arm of Toral on the line. Birmingham survived a brief scare.

Friend produces man of the match display

Akpom, who looked lively at Brentford seven days ago, was hardly involved in the opening 45 minutes here, as Birmingham centre-backs Dean and San Jose were dominant in the air.

The strikers’s only real sight at goal came on the stroke of half-time when he met Marvin Johnson’s cross with a header, yet former Boro defender George Friend was able to make an important block.

Friend ended his career on Teesside as a centre-back but has returned to his more recognised position of left-back this season.

Before the match, some may have felt that Boro winger Marcus Tavernier could make it a difficult afternoon for the 33-year-old defender and get the better of him for pace. That simply wasn’t the case though.

Friend was excellent on his return to the Riverside, winning his aerial battles, leading by example and positioning himself well to stop Boro attacks.

He was deseringly awarded Sky Sports’ man of the match and his performance was also recognised by both managers after the full-time whistle.

Karanka change shows Blues intentions

Boro improved slightly in the second half, which in truth seemed to drift due to few goalscoring opportunities.

Karanka’s decision to withdraw attacker Toral and bring on another defender in Marc Roberts on 62 minutes, switching from a back four to a back five, showed the visitors’ intentions.

Boro fans know just how well Karanka’s side can defend a lead, which made their collapse at St Andrew’s last month somewhat surprising.

In that game Blues goalkeeper Neil Etheridge was at fault for two of Boro’s four goals, yet the experienced stopper made an important save to deny Duncan Watmore in the second half at the Riverside.

Watmore’s introduction in the 64th minute injected some energy into the host’s attack in the closing stages, yet there was still a lack of creativity and drive going forward.

This was the end of a bad week for Warnock and Boro, yet there won’t be any excuses at Forest on Wednesday.

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