Start to the season raised expectations at Middlesbrough but Preston defeat highlight the team's shortcomings

This time last week we were discussing one of Neil Warnock’s best victories as Middlesbrough manager.

A 2-1 win over a high-flying Swansea side showed just what the Teessiders are capable of and was the sort of result which has raised expectations over the last few months.

For most of the first 17 league games the Teessiders have looked like genuine top six contenders - a side which is difficult to beat and robust at the back.

That wasn’t the case at Preston on Wednesday night, though, as we were reminded about some of the team’s shortcomings during a 3-0 defeat at Deepdale.

There were always likely to be peaks and troughs during a relentless Championship campaign but no one quite saw this result coming.

So was it as bad as the scoreline suggests?

Before this match Warnock said he had 90 per cent of what Championship managers’ craved, and it was that final 10 per cent which was lacking.

The 10 per cent he was alluding to is in the final third, where Boro have struggled to create and convert chances for most of the campaign.

It was a similar story in the first half here, with neither side producing many clear-cut opportunities in a goalless opening 45 minutes.

Admittedly Preston were the better side before the interval but, aside from a brief lapse in concentration from Boro’s backline which allowed Tom Barkhuizen to force a save from Marcus Bettinelli, neither keeper had much to do.

Preston’s pressure eventually told, though, with the hosts finding more success playing off striker Jayden Stockley, who regularly backed into Boro’s defenders and made himself a nuisance.

At the other end of the pitch, Boro captain Britt Assombalonga hardly had a touch in the opening 45 minutes as the Teessiders struggled to retain possession or mount sustained attacks to trouble Alex Neil’s side.

Assombalonga and fellow striker Chuba Akpom are clearly going through a sticky patch, partly down to a lack of service and partly down to not sensing opportunities.

As Warnock said after the game, Marvin Johnson delivered a couple of inviting crosses in the second half but no one was there to convert them.

Johnson was Boro’s brightest spark going forward and almost made it 1-1 after Brad Potts’ opener, with the Boro winger testing Preston goalkeeper Declan Rudd with a powerful shot.

If that Johnson effort had gone in it could have been a different story. As we have seen already this season, goals can quickly change the momentum of games.

Yet Boro aren’t testing opposition keepers enough to force matches to turn, and Johnson’s attempt was one of just two efforts on target.

At the other end, the Teessiders’ often reliable backline collapsed in the final ten minutes as Scott Sinclair and Emil Riis capitalised on defensive mistakes to make it 3-0 in the final ten minutes.

The absence of defender Anfernee Dijksteel has been felt in Boro’s last two games, yet Warnock’s biggest concern will still come in the attacking third of the pitch.

Whether it means tweaking the side’s formation, recalling Patrick Roberts to the starting XI or a more attacking approach, Boro have to find a way to create and take opportunities.

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