Ryan Mason must learn from Tony Mowbray failure when West Brom take on Middlesbrough

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Two of the top sides in the Championship so far will face off this weekend, with Middlesbrough the victors in their most recent meeting.

Middlesbrough have made a “brilliant” start under Rob Edwards this season, and remain undefeated post-international break with their 2-2 comeback draw at Preston North End.

West Brom were in second place before the weekend but have since slipped to fifth following the Baggies’ 1-0 defeat at Derby County, which was their first loss of the campaign with Ryan Mason at the helm.

Middlesbrough host West Brom on Friday evening, with both sides searching to cement their promotion credentials against a fellow contender.

Tony Mowbray was the Baggies boss when the two last faced each other in January, and Mason will need to learn from his predecessor’s costly tactical error to better his result against Boro.

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West Brom struggled in last meeting against Middlesbrough

With a play-off place in the crosshairs for both sides, Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough side beat Mowbray’s West Brom 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium in January.

Homegrown Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney opened the scoring after half an hour, before an 83rd-minute goal from Liverpool loanee Ben Doak doubled Boro’s lead to secure the 2-0 win.

When analysing the deeper statistics from their most recent meeting, it is clear where West Brom went wrong against Middlesbrough, and therefore what Mason must avoid on Friday evening.

Although Carrick’s Middlesbrough were a possession-oriented side, Mowbray’s Baggies enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball last time at Boro with 58 percent.

Crucially, West Brom failed to convert their possession into enough clear-cut chances as the Baggies managed only one shot on target.

With Boro having less of the ball, their clinical edge was clear by converting half of their total shots on target, thanks to Hackney and Doak.

Given that Mason and Edwards have succeeded Mowbray and Carrick, respectively, Friday evening’s affair is set to be different from a tactical viewpoint, with the two sides differing in their approaches under new management.

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Middlesbrough’s defence could be too strong for West Brom

With Edwards imprinting his back-three system on the Middlesbrough defence in impressively rapid style, Boro boast the joint-best defensive record in the Championship thus far.

Both Boro, Stoke City and Portsmouth have conceded only three goals each as Edwards’ side remain behind free-scoring Coventry City and Bristol City in terms of goals scored.

Although West Brom possess a litany of attacking talents, with Isaac Price being watched by Premier League clubs for his exploits this season, Mason’s Baggies have only scored twice in their last three league fixtures.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	5	4	1	0	9	3	6	13
2	Stoke CityStoke City	5	4	0	1	9	3	6	12
3	Bristol CityBristol City	5	3	2	0	12	4	8	11
4	LeicesterLeicester	5	3	1	1	8	5	3	10
5	West BromWest Brom	5	3	1	1	6	4	2	10
6	CoventryCoventry	5	2	3	0	15	7	8	9

If Hackney and Aidan Morris can keep Price occupied in the midfield, with Callum Brittain locking down Mikey Johnston and Jed Wallace being marked by Newcastle United loanee Matt Targett, Boro’s defensive structure could be too difficult for West Brom to penetrate.

Targett believes Middlesbrough are a “top team” for their spirited comeback at Preston, and table-topping Boro will have to be exactly that on Friday evening, with the Baggies set to be their most testing clash of the season so far.