Philip Tallentire: Is it realistic to criticise Boro's relative lack of goals?

Boro are in the automatic promotion places with almost two-thirds of the season completed.

Yet the hot topic this week has been the team’s lack of goals and how that could scupper the club’s promotion prospects.

Fans are the same the world over, even when things are going well we tend to look on the darkside.

But is it realistic to criticise Boro’s relative lack of goals?

The counter-argument is the fact that Aitor Karanka’s team boast the tightest defence in the division.

Boro have conceded just 22 goals, which is a remarkable figure and the reason why they are flying so high.

In almost all of the important Championship rankings, Boro are holding their own.

Ryan Pinder

Goal Difference, Goals Scored, Goals Conceeded, Won, Lost, Goals Scored/Conceeded ratio

The club’s goal difference (plus 28) is the third best in the division behind leaders Derby (plus 33) and Bournemouth (plus 30), who are fourth.

They have won 18 games so far with Derby the only side to have won more (19) and nobody has recorded fewer defeats than Boro’s six.

Number of goals scored is the only table where the club are outside the top six. Boro’s figure of 50 leaves them eighth overall, 17 less than top scorers Bournemouth.

Does this matter? Would it be better if Boro score more goals?

Well, clearly, goals are great and a more prolific strikerate would be welcome.

But, it wouldn’t be welcome if it came at the expense of Boro’s outstanding defensive record.

We just have to accept that Karanka’s philosophy is similar to Jose Mourinho’s in that he builds a team from back to front.

The idea is to keep a clean sheet and score at least once and it seems to be working.

Action Images / John Rushworth

Silvestri denies Jelle Vossen

So far, Boro have kept 15 cleans sheets and that’s a ratio of almost 50%, which is fantastic.

Of those 15, Boro won all but four, so the strategy works.

Since the summer transfer window closed, by which time Karanka had completed the overhaul of his squad, the club have failed to score in six games but only lost two of those, so a tight defence yielded four points that could prove critical.

Of course, you can stack the stats to back up just about any argument, but Karanka’s system is working.

The plea for Boro to sign someone to convert all the chances that are currently going begging is a strange one.

For starters, that kind of player is unlikely to be available and, if he was, he would cost a fortune.

Also, Karanka has at his disposal three very good strikers in Patrick Bamford, Kike Garcia and Jelle Vossen and a midfielder – Grant Leadbitter – who has already reached double figures.

Yes, Bamford, Kike and Vossen miss chances but, let’s be honest, if they were more clinical, they would be playing at the highest level either here in England or abroad, not in the Championship.

Patrick Bamford rues a missed chance

That’s not to say they can’t do better. Kike in particular hasn’t scored the weight of goals expected of him when he joined Boro in July.

But he’s a good player to have in the squad and his all-round contribution in the final third is very good.

It should be recognised that Boro don’t play that kind of football that will result in countless chances in and around the six yard box.

With a strong back four and two defensive midfielders, the team is based on a sound defence and breaking at pace down the flanks or through the middle.

Boro generally achieve plenty of shots from the edge of the 18-yard box and deliver crosses and corners into the box but don’t as a rule play a high line and take the gamble of pushing a lot of players into the opposition box.

To do that would result in more goalscoring opportunities but leave Boro vulnerable to the counter-attack.

The only thing to do is trust in Karanka and hope his way proves as successful over the remaining 13 games as it has so far this season.