Revealed: How Yannick Bolasie can bolster Middlesbrough's attack and why Neil Warnock believes the best is yet to come from Everton loanee

“We just need someone a little bit different who can take full-backs on,” reiterated the Middlesbrough boss as he pointed out his side’s lack of natural wingers following a 3-1 win at Wycombe on January 2.

Boro fans had heard this narrative before. At the same stage of the season two years ago, the Teessiders were competing for a play-off place under Tony Pulis, with the Welshman desperate to add more ‘pace and power’ to his squad.

A familiar problem

Aside from the loan arrival of Rajiv van La Parra from Huddersfield, who made just three league appearances for the club due to injury, Boro missed out on their attacking targets in that damaging 2019 window.

From there the season unravelled, as Pulis’ mundane approach was exploited and heavily criticised by supporters. After months of watching Adama Traore charge past opponents and attack at speed, those exhilarating moments which excited and drew supporters to the edge of their seats were now severely lacking.

To be honest, Boro haven’t really possessed a natural winger who can really take players on since Traore left for Wolves in the summer of 2018.

Marvin Johnson has revived his career on Teesside after returning from a loan spell at Sheffield United, but has also played as a wing-back and full-back since Warnock took charge in June last year.

Marcus Tavernier has also been deployed on the flank, yet his manager prefers the 21-year-old a central role.

At times this season, Boro have played full-backs in advanced wide areas, or compensated by operating with a back three, which worked well at the start of the campaign.

Neither option has brought the best out of the sides forward players, yet that could soon change following an encouraging end to the window.

An encouraging January transfer window

Unlike two years ago, Boro brought in three new wide players last month in the shape of Yannick Bolasie, Neeskens Kebano and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing – all of whom have won promotion from the Championship with former clubs.

Bolasie has been close to signing for the Teessiders twice before, once in 2018, after Traore departed, and then again in October last, yet the paperwork wasn’t completed in time.

Finally, though, the 31-year-old is a Boro player, and the early signs are certainly encouraging.

As well as being a bubbly character who gives people a lift at the training ground and interacts with fans on social media, Bolasie offers another dimension on the pitch.

After starting in a central striker’s role on his debut at Norwich, the DR Congo international played in his natural wide left position during the weekend’s 4-1 defeat by Brentford.

Despite the scoreline, Boro created more than enough chances to take something from the game, against a side which have now gone 20 league games unbeaten and appear destined for promotion.

Bolasie gave Boro an outlet on the flank and allowed his side to relieve pressure when he ran at opponents and carried the ball forward.

A quick glance at social media showed Bolasie was making a positive impression on supporters watching from home. ‘A joy to watch,’ tweeted one fan. ‘Looks like he can create,’ another commented.

After the match Warnock said his strikers, who have struggled for goals and - to be fair - been starved of service at times this season, no longer have any excuses and will receive far more goal-scoring chances now the wide areas have been strengthened.

Yannick Bolasie’s impact

A closer look at the Brentford game and Bolasie’s numbers shows exactly what the Boro boss was referring to.

Figure one reveals the Teessiders’ crossing positions from their 3-0 defeat by Rotherham at the Riverside – their last home game in January.

Against the relegation-threatened Millers, Boro hardly looked like scoring, which is no surprise given most of their deliveries into the box were coming from such a long way out. That made things easier for Rotherham’s three imposing centre-backs, as Paul Warne’s side were content to sit deep and counter attack quickly.

Boro caused far more problems against Brentford, and while the Bees showed more attacking intent which left more space at the back, the Teessiders needed someone like Bolasie to exploit it.

Figure two shows Boro’s crossing positions against Brentford, with Bolasie’s deliveries from the left all coming far closer to the byline.

A reason for that is because the winger was prepared to take players on and run into offensive positions behind the Bees’ backline.

Bolasie’s forays on the flank didn’t work everytime, yet half of the wideman’s 10 attempted dribbles were successful, meaning he had time to deliver a cross.

It should be noted that most of Bolasie’s deliveries were dealt with by Brentford’s defenders, and that Boro’s best chances, which fell to Britt Assobalonga and George Saville, came from attacks on the opposite wing.

That was partly down to Bolasie’s execution, he was bound to be a little rusty after nearly a year without a competitive match, and partly down to there being just one striker in the box when the ball was out wide

Warnock will hope his strikers can gain a better understanding with his new wingers and the combinations lead to more goals for his side.

Kebano also made a promising start to his Boro career when his cross led to the game’s opening goal from a short corner. Mendez-Laing, meanwhile, could feature off the bench at Derby as he continues to get up to speed.

Yet finally, Boro appear to have addressed a key area to bolster their attacking options. Warnock will hope it’s the start of things to come.

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