Middlesbrough are seventh in the EFL Championship table after 25 games into the season. Neil Warnock was sacked after Boro had an inconsistent first few weeks. Chris Wilder was appointed to take over from Warnock and since Wilder’s appointment, Boro have lost only one game in eight games. Wilder’s men have also won five of their last six games, a run that included victory against table toppers AFC Bournemouth.

The following visualisation shows Middlesbrough’s five game rolling xG and xGA in the 2021/22 EFL Championship season.

Middlesbrough started off the season poorly with only one win in their first six games. As indicated in the visual, during the early part of the season, Boro were also very inconsistent in terms of xG and xGA. After 10 games, their xG started to pick up and they were doing quite well in terms of expected goals just before Warnock was sacked. They won three games back-to-back against Peterborough, Barnsley, and Cardiff between match week 12 and match week 14. Under Warnock, Boro also suffered defeats against relegation battlers Hull City and Reading. Warnock was sacked after failing to show consistency once again and capitalise on a good run.

Chris Wilder was appointed as the manager before match week 18 against Millwall and since his appointment, Boro have been on the rise. Their win against Bournemouth was one of Boro’s best attacking performances this season recording an xG of three (Boro’s highest single game xG this season). Defensively as well, Middlesbrough have kept four clean sheets since Wilder’s appointment.

Middlesbrough were 14th when Warnock was sacked and now are pushing for a playoff place under Wilder. Boro will look to continue their good form in 2022 and see if they can return to the top flight for the first time since 2017.