Michael Carrick lets Middlesbrough ‘anger’ show with painful debrief to come

Why? Naivety? Complacency after being so comfortable for so long at Watford? Substitutions backfiring? All of the above?

Even Michael Carrick struggled to hide his emotions in the immediate aftermath.

When BBC Tees commentator Mark Drury put it to the Boro boss that he seemed as fed up as he’d seen him after a game since his arrival two years ago, Carrick simply replied: “Yep.”

“Disappointment, frustration and a bit of anger,” was his verdict on Boro’s collapse earlier in his radio interview.

Usually so keen to quickly move on from setbacks, Carrick said: “I don’t think it will get out of our system this one. It’s disappointing. But we’ll learn from it.”

Boro have no choice but to learn from it, for they don’t want the story of the season to be what could – should – have been, which has been the case in the first couple of months of the campaign. Derby, Portsmouth, Preston and now Watford – points painfully dropped.

Had Saturday’s game finished after 74 minutes, Boro would have been rightly lauded for a polished and professional away performance bringing a perfect week to an end.

“We’re a good team – a really good team,” said Carrick. A neutral observer who watched this game until Watford’s leveller would agree.

But the focus will understandably be on what went wrong and what ultimately cost Boro a third straight Championship win.

By the time Carrick sat down to speak to the written media at Vicarage Road, he’d composed himself and pointed to game management rather than a lack of cutting edge as the explanation for how the game “unravelled”, as he put it.

Both were contributing factors.

From an attacking sense, Boro had the chances to be out of sight long before Watford came to life but Carrick’s side still should have turned their dominance of the ball and territory into more clear cut openings. Boro had 62 per cent of the possession compared to Watford’s 38 per cent but only managed one more shot on target than the hosts.

But one goal should still have been enough. And a goal to the good, Boro should never have found themselves in the position they did in the build-up to the leveller, having naively over-committed. Seny Dieng should have saved Edo Kayembe’s effort but the substitute shouldn’t have been allowed to get his shot away and Ryan Andrews shouldn’t have been allowed to power up the right flank unopposed.

Even a draw would have been frustrating but if you can’t win don’t lose: for so long commanding, Boro were chaotic after the leveller. Kwadwo Baah’s late winner – a knock down from a long-throw – was so simple for Watford.

The withdrawal of Ben Doak and Micah Hamilton 25 minutes from time backfired and the introduction of Delano Burgzorg for Emmanuel Latte Lath after the leveller was also ineffective. That said, it was another frustrating outing for Boro’s No.9, who needs a goal.

Latte Lath and Finn Azaz missed first half headed chances before George Edmundson was the unlikely source of the opener nine minutes after the break. As was the case against Preston at the Riverside earlier in the season, Boro then had their opponents on the ropes but once again failed to land the knockout blow. And when you fail to kill teams off you’re always at risk.

“That’s what football throws at you and you have to be ready for it,” said Carrick.

“Largely the boys have been really good and they’re bitterly disappointed because they’ve put so many good things into the game. “We managed the game fantastically well on Tuesday night (at West Brom) so we know what it takes but that’s a warning shot of what can happen.

“For large parts of the game, the boys have done great. There is definitely a more balanced view to it. But that’s probably why I am so disappointed because the boys have done so well for so long, and to come away with nothing doesn’t feel right. In the end, it’s football. You’ve got to be better in those moments.”