Boro v QPR: no Traore

Traore’s suspension a blow for Boro – gazettelive.co.uk

Adama Traore’s suspension is not ideal for Middlesbrough. There were signs at Bolton, where he played a highly influential role in setting up two of the goals, that he could find some form. There are not many players in world football who are quicker than Traore but as well that attribute, he also showed the tenacity and drive to recover the ball so quickly after he lost it.

Without him, Garry Monk has a dilemma, because there isn’t a right winger in the squad who offers similar qualities. He could move to a three-at-the-back system that allows Cyrus Christie a little more freedom on the right, with Oxford arrival Marvin Johnson competing with Fabio for the left wing-back berth.

Three-at-the-back has been QPR manager Ian Holloway’s favoured system: the advantage is that they can incorporate two strikers as well as Luke Freeman in his favoured number 10 role.

Freeman has been a fans favourite since joining in January, impressing with his dribbling ability and clever passes in behind. We saw him score a wonderful solo goal against Ipswich last week and he will look to find pockets behind Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter to cause problems. That will not be easy though, because Clayton and Leadbitter give Boro’s defence plenty of protection.

Going forward, Monk will need Britt Assombalonga to be as clinical in front of goal as he was at Bolton. In the first few games we saw him get into good areas but not quite find the finish, but we saw in Horwich the qualities that convinced Peterborough, Forest and Boro to gamble on him.

He will hope to pounce on any mistakes in a somewhat error-prone Rs back-line that has toiled away from home. They have lost six of their last seven Championship games on the road, which may be explained in part by the system. Ian Holloway tends to favour a narrow setup which requires Jamie Mackie and Conor Washington to get in defender’s faces.

That works at Loftus Road and we can see in home games, for example against Reading, that at least one of those two is positioned well into the final third (WhoScored – see Player Positions map). Away from home, they’ve not been able to implement their pressing game in quite the same way, be that due to the dimensions of the pitch or the mentality of either side. Away struggles is not a new problem for QPR, who have taken just 36% of their points on the road in the last five seasons.

Middlesbrough meanwhile have not conceded in any of their four home games in all competitions this term. If Monk can find a system that works in the absence of Traore, they should win a fourth in five at the Riverside.

The Football Lab’s Verdict: 1-0