HIS first Middlesbrough side might have made it to the play-off semi-finals, but Michael Carrick claims the current squad is by far the strongest he has presided over during his two years on Teesside.

Carrick celebrated his two-year anniversary as Boro boss earlier this week with his side sitting in eighth position in the Championship table following their midweek win over Sheffield United.

The team Carrick inherited from Chris Wilder finished fourth before losing to Coventry City in the play-offs, but the presence of a large number of loan players meant the squad was immediately dismantled when the Teessiders failed to win promotion.

Since then, Carrick and the rest of Boro’s recruitment have attempted to generate a more sustainable form of growth, and while results so far this season might have been somewhat mixed, the head coach is convinced considerable progress has been made.

“I think this is the strongest squad during my time here,” said Carrick, ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Norwich City. “In terms of balance and depth, and in terms of the chance to build and stay together moving forward, I think we’re the strongest we’ve been since I’ve been here.

“We obviously just missed out on promotion in my first season, but that team had five loan players – six actually, but five that were playing quite regularly. That was a big factor because it meant a big turnover at the end of the season.

“Fine, that’s how it was. We came close, but in terms of all the elements of the game that I look at from the coaching side of things, we’re a long way better than that now.

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“We’re better now than we were then. Yes, we were dangerous back then, but we didn’t actually create a lot of chances with that team, we were just very clinical. I think we’re a much more rounded group now, and that gives me a lot of encouragement going through the season.”

Carrick has overseen 100 matches during his two years in charge, 50 of which have resulted in a victory. His win ratio stacks up impressively against most of his predecessors, and the former England international is confident he and the rest of the club are heading in the right direction.

“It evolves over time,” he said. “I’d like to think we’ve moved in a positive direction. There’s been a few ups and downs, a few bumps as you’d expect. But, largely, I’m sitting here quite happy with the way things are going.

“I’m happy with the way the team is looking. There are different elements to the game we’re trying to improve and put right, but I think we’re playing pretty well.

“If you look at the make-up of the team, and the way in which the boys are trying to implement what we’re asking of them, I think this is pretty much as good as we’ve been.

“That side of things, I’m really pleased with, and I love working with the squad and the players individually. The environment they’ve created between them is really encouraging.”

The immediate focus is on tomorrow’s trip to Carrow Road, with Boro taking on a Norwich side that currently sit a place above them in the table on goal difference. The Canaries have not lost at home this season, and are unbeaten in their last six games.

“I’ve been really impressed with them,” said Carrick. “We’ve obviously watched them a lot, and the way they play is really incisive and decisive. They go through the pitch with little, quick connections, and are really dangerous going forward.

“In terms of their style of play, they’re a bit similar to us going forward, although they’re a bit different positionally. They’re very dangerous, have got good players, and go through the pitch quick and attack very fast. It’ll be a challenge for us to deal with that because you can see they’re a team that are really well coached with very clear principles.”

Middlesbrough (probable, 4-2-3-1): Dieng; Ayling, van den Berg, Edmundson, Borges; Morris, Hackney; Doak, Azaz, McGree; Conway.