Huddersfield Town are ticking plenty of boxes with their performances under David Wagner.
The passion and commitment the head coach demands and displays himself is there by the bucketful.
There is a clear pattern and purpose to Town’s new approach, both passing (742 attempted with 637 completed) and movement is good, and there is a clear intent to close down the opposition and when the ball is lost, win it back quickly.
But against Middlesbrough, one box remained starkly blank - and it’s right at the top of the list of priorities.
For all their possession - and the stats say Wagner’s side had 75% of the ball - Town are struggling to net goals and create genuine chances.
See pictures of the fans at yesterday's match below
A scoreline which left them in the Championship relegation zone was harsh and hard to take, especially when you consider Nahki Wells hit the bar with a 10th-minute free-kick which would have tied the game.
But credit clinical Middlesbrough, whose second goal was sweetly struck by Emilio Nsue and who played an effective containing game after Adam Clayton gave them a ninth-minute lead.
“We’ve only had two shots,” was the gleeful refrain from the sell-out contingent of 3,910 travelling fans in the South Stand after right-back Nsue’s 84th-minute clincher, shot home low after a lovely back-heel tee-up by substitute Adam Forshaw.
It wasn’t strictly true, because Jed Steer saved from Stewart Downing early in the second half, but the point they made was sound.
And the fact that old boy Clayton, with his first goal since leaving for Boro in a £1.5m move in August 2014, was on target less than 24 hours after another ex-Town midfielder, Jacob Butterfield, notched twice as Derby County won at Hull City, was another downer for home fans in a 15,434 ticket-issued crowd at a rainy John Smith’s Stadium.
Dean Hoyle has made it crystal clear selling players, and they will clearly often be among the club’s best, will remain a key part of his strategy going forward.
But the chairman, who says he is excited and refreshed by the new approach, has also said funds are available for Wagner to invest in the squad in January as he aims to hoist his charges up the table.
Town have to start getting goals from somewhere - as Boro, who started with top scorer Christian Stuani on the bench, showed, it doesn’t always have to be the forwards who provide a cutting edge - and the more chances they create, the more chance there is of scoring.
Read more: Huddersfield Town 0 Middlesbrough 2: Ruthless Boro break Terriers' hearts
Of course an effective frontman is bound to be a bonus, and the jury remains out on whether Nahki Wells will thrive within Wagner’s 4-2-3-1 system.
Both Wells and Sean Scannell were thwarted by Dimi Konstopoulos, but given Town’s domination of possession and effective transition from defence to attack, the Greek goalkeeper was hardly overworked.
But progress is being made overall, and with another week to work in training, Town can go to Birmingham City on Saturday with a realistic chance.
