Boro boss Michael Carrick impressed by new-look Norwich City

The sides meet at Carrow Road on Sunday, hoping to maintain the positive energy surrounding their respective recent results. Norwich are unbeaten in six, and Boro responded from successive defeats with a victory over promotion-hopefuls Sheffield United in midweek. 

Carrick celebrated his two-year anniversary in charge of the Teessiders this week and is targeting another victory to mark the occasion. 

Standing in his way will be a City side that has caught his eye with their performances in the opening 11 matches of the Championship season since Thorup succeeded David Wagner in the dugout. 

"I'm really, really impressed with them," Carrick said. "We've watched them a lot going into the game this weekend, and the way they play is really incisive and decisive. 

"They go through the pitch using little connections and are very dangerous going forward. They play a similar style to us going forward, a bit different positionally, but they've got good players who can go through the pitch quickly and attack fast. 

"That will be a challenge for us to manage that. They're a good team. You can see they are clearly well-coached with really clear principles that I think will make for a really good game on Sunday." 

Carrick boasts a perfect record against the Canaries, having won every game he's managed against them for Middlesbrough. 

That includes emerging as victors twice from Carrow Road, winning 2-1 their last October before City's nearly year-long unbeaten run at home began. The former Manchester United midfielder isn't expecting any record to play a part in Sunday's clash. 

"Historically, so much is irrelevant to what is on the pitch on Sunday, even from the last couple of years," Boro's boss said. 

Carrow Road has been a happy hunting ground for Carrick and Middlesbrough. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) "If you look back to my first year when Riley [McGree] scored a terrific goal, there won't be many boys on the pitch that were and experienced that. It evolves quickly. 

"It's more about the experience that we've have this season in playing these types of games and what it takes to win them. There will be one or the two boys who have experienced over the last year or two going down there and having success. 

"Hopefully that all comes together and puts together a good performance for us."