DAVID WAGNER claims Middlesbrough’s lack of a clinical edge in front of goal is the reason they have tumbled down the table in recent weeks.

Wagner brings his Norwich City side to the Riverside tomorrow night hoping to inflict more misery on a Boro side that has slipped to within six points of the relegation zone following a run of just one win from the last seven league matches.

Michael Carrick’s side have scored just six goals in those seven games, but Wagner does not feel a general lack of attacking threat is the cause of their struggles.

Instead, he points to Boro’s disappointing conversion rate as an explanation for their plight, but insists Norwich’s defenders cannot be complacent tomorrow.

“I know Middlesbrough’s recent results do not look great,” said the Norwich boss, whose own side have lost just one of their last ten league games. “But I have now seen the games and they were super-competitive.

“They missed a lot of clear-cut chances, where they might have been able to turn the results. Yes, they gave a few clear-cut chances away defensively, with unforced errors they didn’t make in the past, but that sometimes happens. We know that can happen if you are not in the best mood. But in ball possession, and offensively, they are a threat.

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“If you look at their expected goals, then you can see that one of the reasons (for their position) is that they have not been clinical. It’s not that they didn’t create enough opportunities. Offensively, they have top quality. Maybe, you have not seen it in terms of the goals, but if you see their games in more detail, then you see that offensively, they are a threat.”

While Norwich have climbed to within one point of the play-off positions ahead of this week’s round of midweek matches, Boro have fallen away in the opposite direction, with Wagner claiming the Teessiders’ run to the last four of the Carabao Cup could have been a factor in their flatlining league form.

“What I have seen is that they had a great cup run, which automatically means a lot of midweek games,” he said. “Now, they are not in the best mood, results-wise, but the team is still committed. That is what I have seen.

“It’s a top team we are playing against, even if recent results were not in their favour. We will not make the mistake of underestimating them because of their results, or judge them on their results.

“We have seen how good they are and how tight the results were. But at the end of the day, even if we know everything about them, it has to be about us.

“If we continue to play with the bravery and enthusiasm the players have been showing, and obviously the confidence now as well, then we can keep our run going. That is our aim, even if we know that Boro away is always a difficult task for everyone.”