"Steve Gibson always does right" - Carlton Palmer delivers Michael Carrick statement amid Middlesbrough FC pressure | OneFootball

Boro were beaten 3-1 by Sheffield United on Wednesday evening, with the side's defensive frailties on show once again.

Carlton Palmer has backed Michael Carrick to stay at Middlesbrough, even if they do not finish the season in the play-offs.

The Teessiders are ninth in the Championship table after suffering their fifth loss in six league games following a 3-1 defeat to second-place Sheffield United on Wednesday evening at Bramall Lane.

It's been a difficult month for Boro, and they have picked up just seven points in 2025. This has allowed Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion to build a gap to Carrick's side, and has pushed them further out of contention for a top six finish.

However, the fight for the final two play-off places remains incredibly tight between multiple clubs and Middlesbrough still have a good chance of recovering and climbing back up the table in the coming weeks and months.

Palmer makes verdict on Carrick's Middlesbrough future

Consistency has been hard to find for many clubs in the Championship this season and Boro are not the only side to have found themselves in a rut on multiple occasions.

However, if they truly do have Premier League ambitions, they can ill-afford the defensive mistakes that have plagued them over the course of 2024/25 and Carrick has his work cut out to make sure that these are not happening as often as they are.

Pressure has and will start to mount the longer the campaign goes on without Middlesbrough in the top six, but former England and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, Carlton Palmer, believes that the 43-year-old should be safe in his job no matter what happens once 46 games have been played.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: "Middlesbrough lost to Sheffield United 3-1 on Wednesday evening and for much of the game Middlesbrough were in the contest, but the extra bit of quality that Sheffield United have shone through in the end.

"Should Michael Carrick be under pressure now if they miss the play-offs this season? Well, they're only three points off a play-off place and he's had to work under really difficult circumstances.

"They lost their main striker in the January transfer window, they thought they may well lose him and that's very, very difficult. There's a lot of shuffling which happens at Middlesbrough and so it makes it very, very difficult."

Palmer continued: "Emmanuel Latte Lath has gone and so has Lukas Engel, it makes it very difficult for Carrick. I mean, he has brought in quality with the likes of Morgan Whittaker. He's got George Edmundson, Ryan Giles. Mark Travis, Samuel Iling-Junior, Kelechi Iheanacho and Brayden Johnson.

"So, he has got players that he's brought in but it takes time to get those players to integrate and to kick on. We’ve seen that Sheffield United, they've brought seven or eight players in. The players haven't gelled yet, so it takes a bit of time.

"Carrick is not under pressure at Middlesbrough come what may. They’ve stuck by him, and he's stuck by them when he's had opportunities to move on. Carrick understands the way the club works in terms of having to balance the books and Steve Gibson always does right by the football club and does right by his managers.

"So, I don't think he's under any kind of pressure and there's still a long way to go. There’s a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season to decide the play-off places."

Middlesbrough are making games hard work for themselves

Despite Palmer's comments that Middlesbrough looked the better side against Sheffield United, they never had control of the game and with their defensive frailties at the moment, this is never a good situation to be in.

All three goals could have been avoided with more communication between the backline, while Tyrese Campbell should have made it 3-1 before Anel Ahmedhodzic sealed victory after Boro suffered from another defensive mix-up.

Carrick has a strong attack, and although Ben Doak is injured, there is more than enough quality to score goals.

However, mistakes in defence are happening far too frequently and they are costing Middlesbrough points nearly every week at the moment. It has been a part of their game from the very start of the season and it must be stopped now, otherwise the fight for the play-offs will be gone before they know it.