Middlesbrough's unbeaten run may well have come to an end at Burnley but the message and approach from Michael Carrick hasn't changed as he prepares for a festive flurry of games.

Boro host Wigan on Boxing Day in front of what looks like being a sell-out crowd, before trips to Blackburn and Birmingham City, a chance for Carrick's side to bounce back from defeat against the leaders and to close the gap on the top six.

After a couple of days off, Boro's players were back in training yesterday as attention turned to the visit of the Latics.

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Carrick will have the players in to train on Christmas Day as he prepares for the Boxing Day clash as he would any other game. He was quick to shrug off the defeat at Turf Moor and his message to the players remains unchanged.

He said: "Regardless of if you win or lose the last game, you want to be consistent in your approach. We said before the game that whatever the result at Burnley it wasn’t going to make or break the season. The league is the league, and so there are so many points to be won over the course of the season.

"I don’t see the need to change our approach. The boys are back to work, focusing on the games ahead. It shouldn’t affect us and it definitely won’t affect the preparation or any messages that we’re giving to them. We just simply want to win as many games as we can between now and the end of the season and see where we end up."

Training and preparing for games over the festive period is all about finding the right balance, says Carrick, who is used to going to work on Christmas Day.

He said: “I’ve had one Christmas off in about 25 years and it doesn’t really bother me one little bit. It’s all I know. You mix the football with trying to spend time with family and your kids. Sometimes I have missed it with the kids because work takes precedence and that’s the responsibility that we’ve got.

"We will be in on Christmas Day and we’ll be training and preparing for Boxing Day. Family is hugely important, and I strongly believe that, but at the same time it’s about getting that balance and knowing that we’re privileged to be in the position that we are. So we’ve got to make the most of that position. It’s all I know and so it doesn’t make any difference to me."

Saturday's game at Burnley brought up the halfway stage of the Championship season, though Carrick has only been in charge for seven games.

Asked for his assessment of the division, the head coach said: “It’s definitely tight. It’s one of them where it’s nothing new because everyone says it, but in this league anyone really can beat anyone on their given day.

"Burnley are a very good team and that shows in their league position. Credit to them for building up so many points. But there isn’t really surprises within the league - there are some really good teams, some teams that are really tough to play against and it certainly takes a bit of everything to win games in this league."

Boro will be backed by their biggest crowd of the season at the Riverside on Monday. More than 29,000 tickets had been sold as of yesterday morning, with fans urged to act fast to snap up the remaining seats.

“There is always that special feeling around a home game at Boxing Day," said Carrick.

"We’re heading for pretty much a sell-out which is fantastic. We always appreciate the support so much, home and away, and it’s up to us to give them something to shout about and smile about and hopefully send them home happy."

It's not yet clear whether Matt Crooks will be fit to return for Boro against Wigan. He missed the Burnley defeat after picking up a knock in training last week.

Carrick said: “We’ll have to wait and see because we haven’t had much time to do any work and recovery with him just yet. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

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Carrick was speaking to the local press at a community Christmas event at the Riverside on Tuesday, where fans got the chance to meet the head coach and the playing squad.

Carrick said: “It’s fantastic for us to be able to come down and try to put a smile on everyone’s faces and for the club to help the local community. It’s not an easy time for a lot of people and so it’s important we try and make a difference as much as we can. You come here and see the reaction on the faces when they see the boys, and that is priceless. It’s magical stuff."