Boro lacked final pass in final third – Percovich
LEO Percovich conceded that Middlesbrough just couldn’t find a decisive final ball in their goalless draw with Huddersfield Town, but did feel his side should have had a penalty.
Boro lacked quality in the final third as they struggled to break down Huddersfield and earn the three points, with the Terriers ultimately holding on for their first away clean sheet since April.
It was a disappointing turnaround from the second half at Wigan in midweek where Boro had suddenly sparked into life before ultimately reverting to an issue that has plagued them all season.
Reflecting on the game, the caretaker boss said after: “We tried to break them down, but we didn’t manage to.
“We started really positive with our demand of the game with the ball. But Huddersfield came here to hold us back and to try and catch us on the counterattack, which they are good at.
“So you can go too enthusiastic and unbalance the team. That’s what they’re waiting for to break you down. So we tried to keep our balance, use our possession to penetrate but we lacked a final pass in the final third and when we needed more precision, we missed out today.”
In what is largely expected to have been Percovich’s fifth and final game in charge of the first team having steadied the ship since Chris Wilder’s exit almost three weeks ago.
He did all he could in the second half to try and influence the scoreline and help his side make a breakthrough, with Hayden Hackney, Rodrigo Muniz, Marcus Forss, Riley
Mcgree, and Marc Bola all brought on at various stages to try and break the deadlock.
“I tried to bring more energy to the side by bringing Hayden on at half-time because we were lacking energy,” he reflected after.
“I rested him initially because it’s the third game of the week, but we needed more of the positivity that he brought us in the second half on the ball.
“Then I saw Chuba and Duncan running out of gas because they worked so hard in the last game so they couldn’t penetrate better. You can see we needed more energy, and we tried but we just could not find a way to penetrate.” While Boro couldn’t find the quality to get a first goal, there were three penalty appeals in the game, with Percovich feeling aggrieved that at the very least the first – a handball from Tom Lees – was not given.
He bemoaned: “For me, we should have had two penalties – one in the first half and one in the second half.
“For me, two clear penalties. The first is the handball which, in my opinion after watching it back on video, hits the arm with the arm in an unnatural position.
“So we’re disappointed with that and for sure it changed the game. In a game like that where you’re trying but you can’t find a breakthrough, sometimes you can find a goal through that kind of place. I disagree with the referee on that one.”
Boro didn’t get the penalty nor manage to get a goal, which meant they had to settle for a point against the side at the foot of the Championship table. Boro sit 21st, one place and one point above the drop zone.
For me, we should
have had two penalties – one in the first half and one in the second half
Leo Percovich