The 2024/2025 EFL Championship season was a disappointing one for both Rob Edwards and Middlesbrough.
Edwards began the season managing Luton Town, off the back of Premier League relegation in 2023/2024.
His side entered the year as top-six favourites, but by January, he had been sacked with his team firmly in the relegation zone.
Conversely, Middlesbrough FC sacked their head coach, Michael Carrick, after a disappointing tenth-place finish in the Championship.
The owners’ heavy investments in the summer window meant high expectations were in place.
Despite exciting football at times, these expectations were not met, and the Englishmen’s underwhelming league position meant their time was up.
Now, the two parties have come together in the hopes of a more promising future.
Edwards will be looking to replicate his exceptional 2022/2023 season with Luton, which led to promotion via the Championship Play-Offs.
Middlesbrough will be looking to return to the top flight for the first time since 2017, when Aitor Karanka led the club.
This tactical analysis will analyse how the Boro may look moving forward under Rob Edwards coaching style.
As we approach the new season, we will consider the potential Rob Edwards tactics, the formations chosen by Middlesbrough, and which personnel are likely to be favoured.
Rob Edwards Tactics At Luton Town
Rob Edwards has favoured a 5-2-1-2 or a 5-3-2 setup throughout his managerial career.
He has adopted this system, or a very similar one, when at Forest Green Rovers, Watford, and Luton.
Rob Edwards Wing-Backs
A huge part of Edwards’ approach and arguably his unique identity as a manager is his use of wing-backs.
In his system, the wing-backs defend as part of a five, but push high and wide in attack to become almost wingers in attacking phases.
The image below shows his Forest Green sides’ areas of dominance (blue zones).
As can be seen, his wing-back zones are heavily involved.
At Kenilworth Road, this approach worked exceptionally well, particularly in the EFL Championship.
Even more so, his love for wing-backs was evident at Forest Green in their EFL League Two title-winning season.
Kane Wilson and Nicky Cadden contributed an awe-inspiring 33 goal contributions between them.
His wing-backs thrive because of their positioning and, more importantly, the freedom they are given in attack.
Edwards asks these players to take risks and feel free to lose the ball.
They are asked to focus on taking on their man, carrying the ball forward, and getting a cross into a dangerous area.
In the Premier League season, Alfie Doughty made 340 crosses, over 100 more than any other player in the league.
Alfie Doughty and Chiedozie Ogbene were also the two Luton footballers with the most progressive carries.
Rob Edwards Style Of Play
Rob Edwards’ football is at its very best when his sides are looking to be direct and attacking in their approach while remaining fluid.
His football aims to progress the ball quickly, enabling fast transitions, but he achieves this through initial short controlled passes rather than long hopeless punts.
The graph below illustrates his Forest Green style of play in comparison to the rest of the league.
As shown, it is direct in speed but still involves short passes in the build-up.
He initially looks to build up centrally through passes into either his midfield or strikers, who then look to feed the ball to the flanks.
From here, Edwards encourages his wide players to try and take on their man and cross the ball into dangerous areas.
In the 2023/2024 Premier League Season, Luton had the most crosses in the league with 841.
In the 2021/2022 League Two Season, Edwards’ Forest Green also had the most crosses in the League with 1005.
Rob Edwards Attacking Tactics
The two goals below are brilliant examples of ideal Rob Edwards goals.
They are great examples as they fit the following criteria:
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- Use of central players in the build-up phase
- Attacking wing-backs in dangerous zones
- Effective crosses
- Target forwards challenging in the box
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 1, 2025
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 1, 2025
Because of this, he likes to include at least one physical presence up front in his lineup, sometimes two.
Having a target man who can hold up the ball before feeding wide, while also getting onto the end of crosses to convert, is absolutely essential for his system to work effectively.
At Forest Green, this mantle fell to Jamile Matt.
At Luton, Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris both performed this role exceptionally well.
Rob Edwards Tactical Flexibility
The fundamentals of Rob Edwards’ system are quick, fast, and attacking football, with a high usage of wing-backs and target strikers.
However, he can adapt his approach to be flexible based on his squad.
At Luton, he took over from Nathan Jones, whose football and squad-building were based upon direct football.
As such, Edwards’ style was much more direct and long-ball focused at Luton than it was at Forest Green.
In his promotion-winning season at Luton, his side had an average possession of 46%.
In the Premier League, this dropped to 42%.
With Forest Green, his side kept much more of the ball, averaging 54% possession.
This drastic comparison highlights his ability to use the players to maximise their strengths.
If he feels his side has more technical quality, as he may at Middlesbrough, he will look to keep the ball more.
He does this by drawing his eighths wider in the central zones, creating more space centrally.
This makes it easier to find these inside midfielders, who then have more time to pick a pass and can play more intricate, less direct passes.
Whilst it is difficult to know for certain, we believe Edwards’s preferred style is closer to that at Forest Green.
His time coaching youth sides at the International level showed his commitment to keeping the ball on the ground and using short passes while remaining direct and progressive.
Rob Edwards Defensive Tactics
Edwards likes his side to be aggressive off the ball and to recover as high up the pitch as possible.
He looks to press man-to-man and push his wingbacks up to make a 3-4-1-2 or a 3-5-2, depending on his chosen system for the day.
The images below show his side pressing high off an opposition goal kick.
The central midfielders move high up the field, maintaining man-to-man.
When the play shifts across, so do Edwards’ players.
The wing-backs then join the press, looking to trap QPR and forcing them into a long ball, which results in a concession of possession.
Edwards will even allow his centre-backs to push up with the opposition strikers.
As seen below, Tom Holmes (number four) pushes into midfield in an attempt to steal the ball from the striker he is marking.
This aggressive approach worked great at Forest Green and in his first season at Luton.
For example, in the 2021/2022 League Two season, Forest Green had the league’s lowest PPDA (Passes per Defensive Action).
This indicates they were the division’s best pressers and turned the ball over most effectively.
Nevertheless, this approach requires personnel with specific attributes.
The wing-backs and midfielders must be energetic and capable of covering vast distances in any given game.
The central defenders should also have enough pace to cover should long passes be played over the top.
Last season, Luton experienced many injuries, which resulted in the necessities mentioned above not being met.
The teams chosen were often makeshift, with specific profiles playing out of position.
This meant that the players in certain positions had the wrong attributes for their roles, but it also meant that the sides were often unorganised, and the structure when pressing was reckless and easy to break.
As such, this aggressive, high-energy approach was also part of their struggles.
The Hatters often looked to push high, but rather than winning the ball, they left gaps behind the defence, which were easily exploited.
Rob Edwards Low Block Tactics
When pinned back by the opposition, Rob Edwards’ teams typically revert to a 5-3-2 formation, with the wing-backs inverting and tucking in deep amongst the central defenders, as shown below.
However, the manager does not enjoy sitting deep, and his side looks to break and push up as soon as possible.
Rob Edwards Player Management Skills
Rob Edwards is not only a great tactical manager, but his success also hinges on his ability to understand and motivate his squad.
Edwards has passionately emphasised that his players are people, not robots, and has specifically noted that he wants to create a culture where his squad is ‘brave and not afraid to try things’.
He has also discussed how he wants to try his players with the ‘respect and honesty’ they deserve.
This aspect of his management will be pivotal if he is to succeed at Middlesbrough next season.
Earning promotion out of the Championship is extremely challenging, and next season, this will be even more true than ever.
Birmingham City, Leicester City, Southampton, Ipswich Town, and Sheffield United are just a few of the giants they will have to compete with, along with the newly promoted wildcard Wrexham.
Doing this successfully will take more than tactical perfection.
Any side wanting to go up will have to fight for one another until the end, and Edwards could become crucial here.
Rob Edwards Weaknesses
One potential criticism that has been thrown at Rob Edwards is a slight reluctance to change despite bad form.
Some may call this loyalty to his beliefs, but others could label his stance naivety and an inability to adjust.
This was recognisable at Luton last season, when, despite a challenging first few months of the year, he continued to play his chosen system and style of football.
Consequently, the disappointing results remained unchanged.
This criticism was also thrown at departing Michael Carrick, whose lack of a ‘Plan B’ was the final nail in his coffin at the Riverside.
If he wants to succeed in Middlesbrough’s promotion quest, he will need to learn from his previous failures.
Even Pep Guardiola has had to adjust this year, and an inability to do so under challenging circumstances could be the only thing preventing Edwards’ potential from being a top-class manager.
Rob Edwards Suitability For Middlesbrough
The current Middlesbrough squad seems impressively suited to the potential structure and style we have discussed, and the transition could be relatively smooth.
Firstly, the squad is comprised of versatile central defenders who can all operate effectively in a back three.
Rav van den Berg offers the much-needed pace, while others provide the experience and leadership essential to managing high-risk approaches.
In midfield, the likes of Hayden Hackney and Finn Azaz will thrive in the eight positions.
All the current midfielders offer a combination of physicality and technicality, which should make them very effective in progressing play centrally, as we have mentioned.
The only concern would be physicality and defensive ability in these areas.
As shown below, Middlesbrough defensive midfielder Dan Barlaser is much better in possession than out of it.
That being said, one of Edwards’ biggest managerial successes was Ross Barkley.
Barkley arrived at Luton as an attacking midfielder, but under Edwards’ management, he became much more tenacious off the ball.
We believe the manager could have a similar effect with Barlaser and Hackney if they remain at the club.
With that in mind and assuming no major departures in Hackney or Van Den Berg, the main acquisition required from here is a right-sided wing-back.
Alex Bangura and Neto Borges should make for very able options on the left flank.
However, the opposite side does not have any standout candidates.
Luke Ayling lacks the energy or final product needed; no other option would be in their natural position.
It is far too important a position to be afforded any risk, and so finding someone to fit this role should be the number one summer priority.
Ironically, Isiah Jones left Middlesbrough for Luton.
Had he remained at the club, he would have been ideal in this system.
Kaine Kesler at Aston Villa had been discussed, but disappointingly, he has opted for Frank Lampard’s Coventry City.
Finally, Middlesbrough may need to be in the market for a target man up front.
The options in and around this role are brilliant for the league, with Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway being the standout choices.
However, as a central striker, the current options are Delano Burgzorg and Marcus Forss.
Both are effective in this league, but neither thrives in aerial duels, which are vital to this system.
Realistically, we would be unsurprised to see one of these depart in favour of a forward who can hold the ball up and win attacking aerial duels in the opposition box.
The money for Josh Coburn‘s departure should already help make some of these moves more viable.
Conclusion
As we have discussed in this piece, Rob Edwards is an up-and-coming young head coach who could be a great success at Middlesbrough.
His football is exciting, his man-management style motivating, and he seems to understand how to win games and achieve promotions.
Nevertheless, his success this season is contingent upon several factors.
The first determinant is how the club supports his style and commits to recruiting the right profiles.
Even more importantly, how he learns from his past experiences will undoubtedly affect the outcome of this season.
What is certain is that Middlesbrough have enough quality in both their squad and their manager to mount a serious challenge this season, should the aforementioned factors work out.
