Kim Hellberg’s verdict after Middlesbrough lost 2-0 at Bristol City
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg(Image: PA)
Kim Hellberg described his ‘weird’ mixed emotions after suffering defeat for the first time as Middlesbrough manager at Bristol City.
Goals from Emil Riis and Rob Atkinson condemned Boro to a 2-0 defeat – their first under the Swede, who enjoyed a great start with four wins from four.
Ultimately, in an open first half, Boro had more than their fair share of opportunities to take more from the game. But they were also vulnerable to the counter too – something they hadn’t looked under Hellberg since the first game against Derby County.
“It’s a weird one,” Hellberg said after. “You have to have two feelings in your head. You always want to win. I’m very disappointed that we didn’t take any points away from this tough away game.
“I watched Bristol a lot. I think they’re a very good team. They’ve done a lot of good things. They have very good players. They are aggressive on their home turf.
“But in terms of performance and how we play, I think it’s a very good away performance. I think we had 28 shots, something like that on my tally, and 18 from inside of the box.
“I think those numbers show the name of the game; how we play a little bit. I loved the energy from the players, how they fought through the game, how we are playing football for the moment. I think that is very, very good.”
Acknowledging where it didn’t quite go right for Boro on the day, however, he continued: “Of course, there’s some things that we need to keep improving. I told them down there that I think in the first half, we have some rest defense in the counter-marking area where we could do better.
“That is a structural thing from me, so I have to do that better in preparation. That allows them some transitions on us a little bit easier. But when we do that well, we collect the ball and keep playing.
“So it’s that weird feeling of being irritated, frustrated, and a bit angry of not getting points, but still, I’m unbelievably proud of the players. How they play football, how active they are, how brave they are.”
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