It was a frustrating night at Elland Road for Middlesbrough on Tuesday, as Michael Carrick's side were beaten 3-1 by Leeds United, but it was also a revealing one as far as who Boro's key man might be.
Entering their clash with Daniel Farke's side off the back of an impressive away performance that earned them a draw at Burnley last Friday, Teesside optimism was in the air surrounding Middlesbrough's ability to take something home from their trip to West Yorkshire.
So, despite a poor first half display, Boro found themselves level on 54 minutes when Max Wober diverted Dan Barlaser's corner into his own net, as Carrick's side looked set for another strong point on their travels.
However, an array of self-inflicted wounds saw Middlesbrough hand three goals and three points to the home side, dropping Boro to one of their most frustrating defeats of the season so far.
Ben Doak
What Tuesday night's performance did reveal, however, is that the Teessiders most important player may not be Ben Doak after all. Instead, it might just be a central midfielder who wasn't involved at Elland Road.
Dan Barlaser, Hayden Hackney frustrate v Leeds
Performance of Middlesbrough midfield an issue
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Hayden Hackney and Barlaser were once again given the nod to form Middlesbrough's central midfield duo at Elland Road, with the battle in the middle of the park being key to Boro's chances at Elland Road.
In order to beat Leeds' high press, launch counter-attacks and steady the tempo of the game when needed, Boro's midfield pair were going to be vital to Carrick's gameplan.
However, what the Middlesbrough head coach saw will no doubt have seen his ice-cool demeanour be cracked and tested to the limit.
|Dan Barlaser & Hayden Hackney stats vs Leeds United - per FotMob|
|Player|Accurate passes|Chances created|Successful dribbles|Accurate long balls|Ground duels won|
|---|
|Dan Barlaser|60/77 (78%)|0|0/2|2/6 (33%)|4/10 (40%)|
|Hayden Hackney|52/70 (74%)|1|1/1|1/4 (25%)|5/9 (65%)|
It was a night of misplaced passes for the Boro duo, as both Hackney and Barlaser got caught out multiple times failing to keep possession for the red and white shirts.
When Middlesbrough were able to play around the Leeds press and have the chance to turn up the field, multiple promising moves came to an end with overhit balls and mistimed passes, many of which coming under no real pressure either.
As a result, Boro rarely enjoyed extended spells of possession, which is a key aspect of Carrick's tactical approach, and forced too many unnecessary turnovers that prevented Middlesbrough's chances of really gaining a foothold of control in the game.
The true importance of Aidan Morris to Middlesbrough
Aidan Morris1
Therefore, on a night when star right-winger Ben Doak also endured possibly his worst game in a Middlesbrough shirt since arriving from Liverpool in the summer, the true identity of Boro's most pivotal player may just have been revealed.
Aidan Morris has been the metronome in Middlesbrough's midfield since his arrival from Columbus Crew in the summer, but was struck down with a knee injury in November that has sidelined him for the last couple of weeks.
The USA international is yet to provide a goal or assist so far this term, but the quality of his work in regard to ball retention, dictating the tempo of games and ensuring Middlesbrough win the midfield battle has been essential to Boro's success.
|Aidan Morris' Championship stats as of matchday 20 - per FotMob|
|Pass accuracy|Long ball accuracy|Dribble success|Tackles won|Duels won|
|---|
|93.8%|83.1%|64.3%|69%|59.8%|
Morris registers a passing accuracy of 93.8 percent and a long ball accuracy of 83.1 percent in the Championship so far this season, and when you compare that to what Hackney and Barlaser recorded in those categories against Leeds, the picture becomes even clearer as to how important he is.
The impact his absence had in the middle of the park on Tuesday night was striking. That isn't to say his importance had been lost on Middlesbrough supporters, because it absolutely hadn't been, but perhaps that Elland Road outing really made it hit home.
Carrick's midfield looked lost without his presence, and it certainly didn't function to the standard it has been when the 23-year-old is involved. It wasn't a performance that suggested Boro could live without him.
It may also provide the Middlesbrough boss with food for thought with the January window fast approaching. Are his central midfield options outside of Morris really strong and deep enough to take into the business end of the season? Or, does it need an extra bit of quality added in the new year?
Either way, one thing is for certain, Teessiders everywhere will be adding an extra request when writing their Christmas lists for Santa Claus this year, and that is to keep Morris fit and healthy for the rest of the season once he returns.
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