STOKE City boss Steven Schumacher admits he's surprised by Middlesbrough's form and where they find themselves in the Championship table - but has backed Michael Carrick's side to come through this testing spell.

Boro are now just six points above the relegation zone after a worrying slump, with the defeat against Schumacher's side the fourth in their last five games.

Carrick's side looked well set to be in the play-off mix at the turn of the year but have quickly slid down the table after a run of just one win in seven games - a spell which Schumacher didn't see coming.

Asked whether he's surprised by Boro's form and their current situation, he said: "Yeah, a little bit if I'm honest. They're a really good team with really good players and a really talented manager.

"I didn't expect them to be where they are but every team in this league has a tough period. We've had a number of them.

"Middlesbrough and Michael are having one of them moments. I'm sure they'll come through it with the quality that they've got, they'll have enough to win games of footy for sure."

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While Schumacher believes Boro are a "really good team", he thinks his Stoke side were good value for their victory at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday.

Stoke had won just one of their last six games and scored only 12 home goals all season before their double against Boro. While the Potters remain in the bottom three, just three points separate 12th and 22nd - "mental", says Schumacher.

"There are so many teams in a really congested bottom half of the table," he said.

"Every point is going to be huge now. There are six points between us and 12th which is mental.

"It will change loads between now and the end of the season. You can't focus on the table, you just have to get as many points as you can.

"It was a big win. With the situation that we're in, we needed a performance to give us a chance to get the result we wanted.

"We started the game really well, played a lot of the football in their half and tried to settle ourselves in.

"After a really good opening, they broke away and nearly scored and we needed our goalkeeper to make a save. Credit to Daniel (Iversen) for that. Once we grew into the game we played with a bit more confidence.

"We got ourselves in at half-time and spoke in the break about trying to do the same thing, being aggressive and playing on the front foot. It was a big win.

"It was two teams that aren't in brilliant form. The first goal in this league is crucial.

"We managed to get it then after that we deserved a second goal and maybe could have got one or two more. It was a tough game. We knew it would be a hard game against a really good team but every one of our players deserve full credit."