While Tuesday evening’s goalless draw between Middlesbrough and Stoke City may not have been the most thrilling of matches, there were still plenty of talking points emerging from it.

Perhaps the most interesting as far as bigger implications are concerned was the tactical switch from Rob Edwards, as he made the switch he’d been hinting at for sometime. Boro reverted to flat back four against the Potters, moving away from their successful back three variations.

While Boro certainly had to hold on in the second half as tiredness felt like a big factor, they were also defensively short after George Edmundson’s early injury. Unfortunately, the nature of their two-sided performance makes it difficult to fully assess the impact of the formation change.

Done, in the main, to not leave wing-

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