How Kim Hellberg’s high-octane football sent Middlesbrough top of the… — and more

Middlesbrough is not necessarily the first place that comes to mind when you think of stylistic innovation, but in the Championship, Boro are blazing a trial. A six-game winning streak has propelled them to the top of the table before Monday night’s crucial visit to promotion rivals Coventry, and they have got there playing football unlike anyone else in the league.

The manager, Kim Hellberg, arrived at the Riverside Stadium in November with Middlesbrough third in the league but shaken by the sudden departure of Rob Edwards to Wolves. On the face of it, Boro fans didn’t have much to get excited about: Swedish coach, 37, never worked outside his homeland; no trophies outside Swedish non-league, no playing career of note. Hellberg’s Wikipedia page was more of a post-it note. “I’m the most Googled name in Teesside,” he joked at his unveiling.

His appointment was led by Middlesbrough’s head of football, Kieran Scott, who had had Hellberg’s name written down in his notebook for a couple of years. Hellberg had first caught the eye helping minnows IFK Varnamo punch above their weight in the Swedish top flight, Allsvenskan, before successive second-placed finishes with Hammarby playing attacking, possession-dominant football.

He underwent a series of interviews, first with Scott and then with chief executive Neil Bausor and chairman Steve Gibson, who were impressed with his detailed plans for how to get the best out of Middlesbrough’s squad. Scott was in agreement with Hellberg’s assessment of a team with defensive solidity but in need of cohesion in attack.

In what wasn’t necessarily a ringing endorsement for Edwards’ work, Scott explained: “It’s a group that just needs a bit of coaching.”

The Middlesbrough players quickly bought into Hellberg’s approach. “Everyone loves him and wants to work with him,” said forward Morgan Whittaker after Hellberg’s first game, a 2-1 comeback win over Derby County in which Whittaker scored the winner.

Boro began to show new traits including unpredictable movement and a smothering high press that helped dominate the ball. Possession numbers jumped from mid-table to the best in the Championship, averaging nearly 60 per cent during Hellberg’s reign.

“We try to dominate as many minutes of each game as possible and to be proactive in having the ball, progressing attacks, and then taking it back directly after losing it,” Hellberg explained, adding: “Possession alone doesn’t win games, but it is connected to how we believe we can be most successful.”

Middlesbrough have won 11 of their 16 games since Hellberg took charge, and what has been so eye-catching is the fast and fluid combination play that has transformed them into such an attractive team to watch. Hellberg references Pep Guardiola among his coaching influences but the Swede does not adopt Guardiola’s famous Juego de Posición principles. His players do not have fixed stations in a carefully calibrated system stretched across the pitch; instead they are encouraged to move freely and be close to one another to make fast connections in tight spaces.

Hellberg says his job is to give players a platform to perform, not for them to adhere to his masterplan. It is why, without naturally gifted touchline wingers, Boro play largely through the middle of the pitch in their notional 4-3-3 shape, using one-twos and flicks around the corner to breach set defences.

They show clear traits of what tactics writer and Uefa A-licensed coach Jamie Hamilton calls a “relationist” approach, even if Hellberg hasn’t put it that way publicly. If the criticism of Guardiola’s world-popular positional play is that it can put a straitjacket on a team’s flair and individualism, then relationist football is meant to be an antidote to that, a place for liberty and expression, full of diagonal passes, clever dummies and quick, almost telepathic interchanges.

Relationist play was most famously deployed in recent years by Brazilian side Fluminense under Fernando Diniz, and has popped up all over the world, from Malmo to the Hungarian national team. Hamilton noticed some of those elements with Hellberg’s Varnamo side several years ago, and tells The Independent: “I remember watching them playing against Malmo thinking, ‘They’re pretty good!’”

Hamilton points to the influence of Hellberg’s long-time assistant, David Selini, as key to helping instill their way of playing.

“Selini uses the term ‘common language’. You want to try and give the players a way of understanding each other, so, who am I playing with? If I’m [Hayden] Hackney, what does [Aidan] Morris like to do? Is he a guy that likes to carry the ball? Is he a guy that likes to lay it off first time? So it’s about inter-player communication and understanding each other’s tendencies and habits.

“That is facilitated in training by using certain common ideas, and that might be pass and move, it might be diagonals, and then within that framework the players can develop understanding of each other. And this is something that’s integral to a more relational approach, rather than using a set positional structure to help those relationships.”

The fast movement and high-octane attacking approach bears similarities with Marcelo Bielsa’s title-winning Leeds side (Bielsa is another of Hellberg’s inspirations), but Boro are unique in the current Championship, carving their own distinct path towards the Premier League. Perhaps Hellberg’s greatest demand of his players is that they never veer from playing their own way.

“I was so proud,” he said after last weekend’s win at Sheffield United. “We scored after 19 minutes and we had 63 per cent of the ball during the game. Away from home, I think that is unbelievable, when you score early against that good of a team, when you keep playing the way you want to play, away from home with a sold-out crowd, I think that’s unbelievably impressive.

“It’s easy away from home, when you score that early goal, to drop and do something else or the opponent forces you to do it, but that was a good picture of the team we want to be. We want to take control of our destiny, we want to play forward as quickly as we can, we want to create chances, and I think we did that unbelievably good.”

Middlesbrough’s winning streak has lifted them above Coventry, who had been leading the Championship all season, and Frank Lampard’s team will provide the ultimate test of Boro’s progress when they meet on Monday night. Win and Boro will have breathing room at the top, as they chase a return to the top flight for the first time in a decade.

Hellberg has a tattoo on his chest of the Allsvenskan trophy with a blank date beneath it, which he vowed to one day fill in. But things change quickly in football, especially in the modern data era, when players and coaches are uncovered who might have gone unnoticed in previous generations. Everybody on Teesside knows the name Kim Hellberg now, and soon the Premier League might know him too.

The first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal for Barcelona was a horrific experience – one that is better off erased from the minds of players and fans.

Taking a 0-4 hammering in the game at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Barcelona not only virtually gave away their Copa del Rey hopes but also took the momentum off their side.

They now continue their run on the road to face Girona later tonight – an opponent who is winless in three games.

That said, however, Barcelona too enter on a mental low and will be vulnerable in the opening phase of the game.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Girona vs Barcelona.

Lessons to be learnt

If there is one game that Barcelona must reflect on deeply and learn from their mistakes, it is indeed their recent defeat to Atletico Madrid.

As Hansi Flick made clear in his post-match press confidently, his men were simply not up for the task midweek and put up a show that was far inferior to what Los Rojiblancos put up.

Barcelona need to get back to winning ways. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Fingers can be pointed at external factors, but the fact remains that the Catalans did not deserve any lead or win on the night.

Barcelona were outplayed by Atletico Madrid on the night, who pressed with intent, passion and a deep drive to win. Flick’s side, however, was slow and lethargic and always came out second-best in the half-chances.

Neither was the team’s press on the night coordinated and relentless, nor was the defence cohesive in any manner. Individual errors across the field only worsened the scenario for them and saw them concede four goals in 45 minutes.

Lessons, at this point, have to be learnt and it will be interesting to see how the team respond after facing such a humiliation in the cup. 

If the team is motivated enough and takes the defeat the right way, they should come out with more desire to undo their errors and play their hearts out tomorrow with dominance. 

The captain returns

Raphinha will return against Girona. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

The Barcelona manager made it very clear in the pre-game conference that he saw Raphinha as the best player in the world for last season, and thus made it clear that the team is very different with and without the Brazilian.

After all, the team’s intensity undeniably falls without his leadership, and it is no surprise that all but one of the team’s defeats this season came when he was not in the squad.

Raphinha has been out since the game against Albacete, and the manager decided not to risk and rush him back for the game against Atletico Madrid midweek. He is, however, cleared now and will be available again.

Needless to say, this comes as massive news for the manager’s plans and for Barcelona and Lamine Yamal.

His presence, after all, adds dynamism, pace, good finishing and leadership – all of which Barcelona are in dire need of. 

It is unlikely that Raphinha starts, but he will come off the bench quite early, given that Marcus Rashford is not available, and it will be interesting to see how long the manager deems him fit to play for.

A possible change at full-back

If there is one department that particularly let the team down midweek, it was the full-back position.

While it is indeed true that the entire team played exceedingly poorly, it was Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde who were exposed and left red-faced time and time again.

Will Joao Cancelo start? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The duo had simply no answers to Atletico Madrid’s pacey wingers, counterattacks and dynamic dribbling.

At this point in the season, one is forced to wonder if Flick must start considering alternate setups.

Balde has been quite good for the team in recent weeks, and one of the reasons he was exposed the way he was midweek was that the team did not have a natural winger to add depth on the left flank.

With no attacking threat up wide, Balde was forced to overstep in attack and was left compromised at the back.

Kounde’s case, however, is completely different as he has looked like a shadow of his former self all season.

Flick does trust him, but one is forced to wonder if it is time to consider a change in the department, at least for the time being.

Joao Cancelo is an option to start in place of Kounde tomorrow and it will be interesting to see if Flick sees the Portuguese international as a viable option on that front at least.

The Frenchman, after all, could use some rest and space for a mental reset.

Balde, meanwhile, necessitates repositioning more than being replaced and could thus start at left-wing if Raphinha does not start.

In that way, he can carry out his attack play while having the likes of Gerard Martin taking care of defence – thus distributing duties for better results.

Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has already started the psychological battle ahead of his side’s crucial UEFA Champions League play-off clash against Real Madrid. 

The Portuguese coach knows exactly what is coming, especially after his team defeated Los Blancos in their last group stage meeting, a result that still lingers in the memory of both sides.

Real Madrid rarely forget such setbacks, particularly in Europe, and Mourinho is fully aware of the reaction his team could face. 

The Spanish giants are set to visit the Estadio da Luz for the first leg, and the tie is already being built up as a high-stakes encounter between two experienced European sides.

Benfica, for their part, have begun the build-up with several messages on their official social media channels. 

The posts are aimed at energising their supporters and creating a strong atmosphere in Lisbon, while also sending a subtle warning to the visitors. 

The intention is to make the Estadio da Luz an intimidating place for Real Madrid on match night.

Mourinho fires up the match

Mourinho himself addressed the upcoming tie after Benfica’s recent league win over Santa Clara. 

He stressed that the match against Real Madrid will be one of the toughest tests his team can face, while also making it clear that the tie is far from decided after just one game.

“[I know it will be] Very demanding, without a doubt. We’ve only played the first leg of the tie. 

“Trubin [the Benfica keeper who scored against Real Madrid last time out] won’t be in the attack at the Luz stadium. I’m very used to these kinds of ties. 

“I’ve been doing it all my life. People often think you need a certain result in the first leg for this or that reason. I say there is no definitive result. 

“We will play the first leg with our heads, ambition, and confidence. We know what we did to the kings of the Champions League. 

“They are wounded. And a wounded king is dangerous,” he said.

Source: SPORT

Honoka Hayashi’s early first-half strike was enough for Everton Women to secure victory over West Ham United at Goodison Park as the Blues secured a third straight win, something that has not been achieved by the Toffees since March 2022.

Interim boss Scott Phelan named an unchanged XI for the third straight week, a decision that was duly rewarded with another battling performance and second consecutive clean sheet.

Everton began brightly and the Goodison crowd didn’t have wait long as Hayashi – who this week signed a new contract with the Blues – gave the hosts the lead with just seven minutes on the clock.

Fellow compatriot Yuka Momiki found Hannah Blundell down the right flank, and the full-back produced a low cross that found the oncoming midfielder, who made no mistake in front of the Gwladys Street to score her fourth goal of the season.

Inma Gabarro was in a mood to build on her winning goal against London City Lionesses last week and continues to forge what is promising to be a very potent partnership with her fellow Spaniard, Ornella Vignola.

And the former was unlucky to not make it two on 24 minutes, forcing a reactionary stop from the foot of Kinga Szemik, who did well to get anything on the forward’s powerful strike.

Rita Guarino’s side looked to reply just after the restart but found Courtney Brosnan difficult to get to, as Everton’s defence was alive to the threat of the visitors’ forward play, with Oona Siren looking the most lively for her side.

And it would Szemik who would be the one to make the next save when the Hammers’ stopper was on hand to thwart Gabarro again just after the hour mark.

Vignola was the provider, lifting a delicious ball over the defence, which was elegantly taken down by the 23-year-old, who opened up her body to let fly but saw her shot was thwarted by the Poland international.

With the game evenly poised, Phelan called upon Aurora Galli, who replaced Rosa van Gool on 68 minutes, while Zara Kramzar entered proceedings in place of Vignola as the Slovenian made her Goodison debut.

And the extra legs in midfield proved a shrewd move as the Toffees held out for the victory, leapfrogging Aston Villa into eighth place in the WSL as Phelan’s formula is proving a welcome tonic for his players.

Can Everton Women’s fabulous February continue? Merseyside rivals Liverpool will be the next obstacle as the Blues travel to to St Helens for their fifth-round FA Cup on Sunday, 22 February.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap points at the results to prove what a positive effect Liam Rosenior is having at Chelsea so far.

He also admits that the players are all buying in to what the former Strasbourg manager is trying to do at the club.

EXCLUSIVE! Two more NEW names added to Chelsea summer list of targets – One from Wolves and one from Atletico Madrid!! 👀

Looking at the early signs, Rosenior most certainly does seem to have the players on his side, at least from what we can see from the outside looking in.

Of course, I’m always cautious when I hear players speak this way, they aren’t exactly going to say anything else in public, are they? And we heard this stuff before with previous managers. But there is certainly a sense here that this is fully legit and the players are really liking Rosenior and enjoying playing and training for him and under him.

Delap on Rosenior

Liam Delap in action against Hull City. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

In words cited on X this week, Delap said:

“I know [Rosenior] from before [at Hull City],’ he added. ‘I think the messages he’s brought into the group, we all buy into it.

“You can see by the results we’re getting that we’re doing well. So hopefully we can build on that and improve in every game.”

And on squad rotation, Delap said:

“There are always different reasons a team is selected – it’s rarely the same side. So we’re used to it, and it’s part of football, you’ve got to adapt to that, and the best teams show that no matter who is playing, you get the job done.”

In other news today

Chelsea have been linked with Juventus defender Gleison Bremer. His stats are great, but at his age and price it’s just not a deal we can see happening.

Pedro Neto’s move to the middle proved a success against Hull, and we’re interested to see what else Liam Rosenior has up his sleeve.