The Neil Warnock tactic which helped thwart Norwich City as Middlesbroigh boss hopes for final transfer boost

Neil Warnock had been looking forward to this fixture for weeks – the chance to pit his wits against Championship leaders Norwich City on their home patch.

The way Warnock’s Middlesbrough side came away with nothing when these sides met earlier in the season will still sting, after Canaries striker Teemu Pukki converted a late penalty in a 1-0 win for Daniel Farke’s side.

Boro had produced one of their best performances of the season that day but a lack of cutting edge in the final third cost them.

A bit more fire power could have allowed them to take all three points here, too, especially after Norwich midfielder Emi Buendia was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on George Saville in the 67th minute.

Yet, after back-to-back home defeats, a point and clean sheet away from home suggests they have overcome a mid-season blip.

Warnock has said his sides never do well in January, so he’ll be happy to see the back of a month which has seen his side lose three league games and suffer a handful of injury setbacks.

Still, there is reason to be optimistic as we head into February with Boro sitting just two points off a play-off spot, even if the sides above them have games in hand.

New faces give Boro a lift

The arrivals of forward Yannick Bolasie and full-back Darnell Fisher certainly changed the perception of what was looking like a largely frustrating transfer window.

Boro remain hopeful they can sign at least one more attacker before Monday’s 11pm deadline (there may also be an outgoing or two) which could provide some extra ammunition up top.

Against Norwich it was Bolasie who was tasked with leading the line as Warnock stuck with a midfield trio of Jonny Howson, Sam Morsy and George Saville.

It’s a combination which appears to work well against teams who like to dominate possession, prompting Boro to sit deeper and hit teams on the counter attack.

Playing the aforementioned midfielders clearly gives Boro extra security and appeared the right approach at Carrow Road, yet it can leave the side short of options in the final third.

After starting in a central position, Bolasie was substituted after 56 minutes and tried to make himself a nuisance against established Norwich centre-backs Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson.

It will be a relief for the Everton loanee to play his first competitive match for nearly a year and the early signs were promising, even if his chances to express himself were limited.

Full-backs stick to their tasks

One man who was able to impress was Boro’s other debutant Fisher.

After just over 24 hours with his new team-mates, the former Preston man was given a specific task to man-mark Norwich’s Todd Cantwell on the Canaries’ left wing.

It was the same for Marc Bola who was told to stick with Buendia on the opposite flank. Both Boro full-backs stuck to their tasks admirably.

Bola and Fisher followed their men everywhere as Cantwell and Buendia drifted inside to try and create space for others or get on the ball.

Norwich couldn’t find a breakthrough, though, and failed to register a single shot on target as Boro defended resiliently.

Warnock used the same tactic at the Riverside when these sides met in November, so Canaries boss Farke knew what to expect.

"I always laugh at Daniel if I’m honest when he knows my teams are coming,” said Warnock after the match. “We’ve always done well against him.

"He’s done well to get four points out of us this year. I’m sure they’ll get promotion but they won’t have a tougher game than that.”

It was also encouraging to see Dael Fry back in the heart of Boro’s backline after suffering a nasty cut below his eye against Blackburn last weekend.

The Teessiders missed the centre-back as they were beaten 3-0 by Rotherham at the Riverside, yet Fry and defensive partner Paddy McNair were excellent again here.

Trying to get the balance right

Few could argue with Boro’s approach against the league leaders and the deployment of Djed Spence and Marvin Johnson on the flanks menat Norwich’s attacking full-backs, Max Aarons and Dimitris Giannoulis, were kept quiet.

Some will ask if the visitors could have been a little more offensive after Buendia was sent off with 23 minutes to go. Even so, Norwich still had the quality to cause problems at the other end.

Chuba Akpom had already replaced Bolasie but for once Warnock had attacking options at his disposal, with Britt Assombalonga, Patrick Roberts, Ashley Fletcher, Lewis Wing and Duncan Watmore (who came on with two minutes to go) all available.

There was an opportunity to gamble and perhaps sacrifice one of the three midfield players, yet, as Warnock said after the game, his side were starting to get in the ascendancy even when it was 11 vs 11.

Upsetting the balance of the side and potentially leaving Boro exposed at the back wasn’t a risk worth taking, especially after watching his side get caught on the counter attack against Rotherham earlier in the week.

Warnock’s side have conceded the least number of shots in the Championship this season and it was the first time in the league that Norwich have failed to register an effort on target.

The Boro boss will now try to find a way to keep that defensive resolve while posing more of a threat at the other end.

Another attacking signing may help as the Teessiders hope for a positive end to the month.

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