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.

A thrilling weekend of Six Nations action shook up the championship chase as Ireland and Scotland bounced back with victories.

Things were far from straightforward for Andy Farrell’s side in Dublin but they emerged with a vital victory, despite another strong showing from an Italy side most definitely on the up.

In Edinburgh, meanwhile, Scotland again raised their game for the Calcutta Cup, playing an error-prone England off the park to snap the visitors’ 12-match winning run.

It leaves France looking ever stronger in their position as tournament favourites, particularly after producing a predictably sizeable scoreline against Wales in Cardiff on Sunday.

Which players impressed in round two? Here are The Independent’s picks for our Six Nations team of the week:

Loosehead prop: Danilo Fischetti/Mirco Spagnolo, Italy

It was a strange scrummaging weekend, with the top of the props tending to come from the losing side. Much like Ireland, we can’t split Fischetti and Spagnolo for what they provided as a one-two punch on the loosehead for Italy - it’s tough to recall Tadhg Furlong ever being folded in the manner he was, while Fischetti was his usual busy self in the loose.

Hooker: Julien Marchand, France

A maul score capped a complete performance from Marchand, so comfortable slotting in as a ball-handler in France’s free-wheeling attack. The hooker was taken off early with his, and France’s, job very much done.

Tighthead prop: Simone Ferrari, Italy

Perhaps no player has been better across the first two rounds of the tournament than Ferrari. The Italy tighthead again led a statement scrummaging performance as Ireland were bent and buckled this way and that, while also landing two colossal hits on Garry Ringrose and Dan Sheehan in the first half.

Lock: Gregor Brown, Scotland

A coming force in the back five of the Scottish pack, the selection of Brown ahead of Grant Gilchrist for the Calcutta Cup perhaps suggested a changing of the guard in the engine room. Brown was tireless and titanic at Murrayfield, all while dealing with a stinger.

Lock: Charles Ollivon, France

17 tackles, eight carries and plenty more fun touches from Ollivon, who adds such dynamism to the back five of the French pack and went the full 80 minutes. To have Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament as a bench locking duo, as France do, is a tiny bit frightening.

Blindside flanker: Oscar Jegou, France

Forgive a little bit of positional quirkiness here, but we are taking after the French and using a more flexible approach on the flanker to squeeze in the continuously impressive Jegou. Just 22, he now looks a fixture

Openside flanker: Rory Darge, Scotland

Scotland’s top tackler, Darge also bedevilled England on the floor with the hosts much better at the breakdown throughout. Manuel Zuliani runs him close after another very good outing for Italy.

No 8: Ben Earl, England

Positives were relatively few and far between for England after their Murrayfield horror show, though the scrum and Earl emerged in credit. The No 8 had to shoulder a mighty carrying burden for his side, as always, yet made metres almost every time.

Scrum half: Antoine Dupont, France

There were excellent showings from Ben White and Jamison Gibson-Park for Scotland and Ireland respectively, yet Dupont remains a level above. It was his moment of daring, devilry and dexterity down the blindside that got France going in Cardiff, and there were plenty more delightful touches, too.

Fly half: Finn Russell, Scotland

How wonderful it was to see Russell back to his illustrative, instinctive best. It felt like the fly half had been short of a bit of form and flow for Bath in recent months, but England were torn to shreds by his broad range of skills as carrier, kicker and passer.

Left wing: James Lowe, Ireland

Louis Bielle-Biarrey was once again superb but let’s give the nod on the left wing to James Lowe after something of a statement showing. Left out in Paris, Lowe showed his enduring class with a strong all-round performance, even if his top-end speed is starting to go.

Inside centre: Stuart McCloskey, Ireland

It felt like McCloskey was keeping Ireland in their game with Italy almost single-handedly at times. The centre matched a few trademark tonks on the carry with subtler skills, a delicate backdoor offload setting up a first-half score before an unorthodox quarterback toss to Robert Balocoune teed up a telling try.

Outside centre: Huw Jones, Scotland

It is now eight tries in the Calcutta Cup for Jones, England’s scourge for so long and sterling again. He pips Tommaso Menoncello to the post – even in the absence of regular running mate Juan Ignacio Brex, the Italian centre showed just what a force he has become.Eddie James showed promise, too.

Right wing: Kyle Steyn, Scotland

Scotland’s supreme air traffic controller was close to faultless under the high ball, providing the platforms from which his side could play. It helped, of course, that England were short of a winger for 30 of the first 50 minutes, yet one could argue that was down to Steyn’s superiority over Henry Arundell, too.

Full-back: Thomas Ramos, France

Jamie Osborne can consider himself unfortunate but the manner in which France’s playmaking spine orchestrated their all-singing, all-dancing performance was lovely to watch. The growing understanding between Ramos, Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert will worry their rivals - there were 14 offloads between the trio, too, in a sign of the threats they pose.

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