Middlesbrough must have Finn Azaz concern ahead of promotion push | OneFootball

The Irish international’s performances against the top half of the table make for grim reading

With just five games remaining, Middlesbrough find themselves on the brink - seventh in the Championship, two points adrift of the play-off places, and locked into an incredibly competitive promotion race.

A mid-season slump looked to have derailed Michael Carrick’s side, but recent performances have restored momentum, even if Tuesday’s 1–0 defeat to Leeds dealt a setback.

As the margins tighten, individual performances will come under increased scrutiny - and one name worth examining closely is Finn Azaz.

Despite a promising attacking return, his record against the league’s top sides presents a tactical dilemma Boro cannot afford to ignore.

Finn Azaz’s worrying record against the Championship’s best teams

While Finn Azaz’s overall contribution this season appears an impressive headline - 10 goals and 11 assists across 40 appearances - closer inspection reveals a clear discrepancy in his output depending on the calibre of opposition.

Middlesbrough’s £2.5m man has proven capable against lower-half sides, but his performances against the Championship’s current top 12 raise valid concerns ahead of the club’s late push for the play-offs.

In 17 appearances against teams currently occupying the top half, Azaz has recorded just one goal and two assists across approximately 1,114 minutes. That equates to 0.24 goal contributions per 90 minutes, a significant decline from his season average of 0.61 G/A per 90.

The drop-off is particularly stark when isolating his performances against the top six, teams Boro will either face in the final weeks or could encounter in the play-offs. Across nine such fixtures, Azaz has failed to score and has registered just a single assist.

Notably, he has been trusted with significant minutes in these matches, often starting and completing full games, suggesting this is not a question of sample size or reduced opportunity.

Rather, it points to a broader issue of effectiveness when faced with high-quality, high-intensity opposition.

Michael Carrick must have selection concern ahead of promotion run-in

While his only goal contribution of note against the top half came in a win over Norwich City in October, this isolated success does little to offset the broader trend of diminished impact.

With key fixtures remaining against Coventry City and Norwich - both of whom occupy top-half positions - Carrick will be acutely aware that his creative midfielder has, thus far, struggled to influence games against promotion-calibre sides.

As Middlesbrough enter the final phase of the campaign with play-off places still within reach, the reliability of key players in high-pressure scenarios will prove decisive.

Azaz’s technical ability and creative instincts are evident, but his muted output against top-tier opposition introduces a potential vulnerability in Boro’s attacking arsenal.

If Carrick is to guide his side through the demanding fixtures ahead and into the play-offs, he may need to reconsider how and when to deploy Azaz - or at the very least, adjust tactical expectations to ensure the team is not overly reliant on a player whose record suggests he struggles to impose himself when the margins are at their finest.