KIM Hellberg’s tactical change paid off as Middlesbrough maintained their impressive record with a thrilling win over Stoke City on Tuesday night.
Hellberg could have easily kept the same starting lineup at the bet365 Stadium three days later after an outstanding 1-0 victory over rivals Wolves on Saturday.
However, with Boro’s head coach anxious to limit the minutes and workload of crucial attackers Tommy Conway and Riley McGree following their summer injuries, the manager chose to shake things up, believing his side would be better suited to playing against Stoke in a different shape.
With that in mind, he added Luke Ayling to the team and switched to a back three. Despite conceding two soft goals, Borough defended effectively throughout. Stoke’s first equaliser was an own goal, as the hosts had only one shot on goal all night.
“The switch suited us very well in terms of their offensive style and how we wanted to press them,” Hellberg revealed.
“They had two tens, which was ideal for us to work through, and I believe we did an excellent job. “Our high pressing in the first half resulted in numerous opportunities and close calls.”We did build something, but it was almost more than that. I prefer to use players that are not assigned to a specific position to maximise their available area.Neto [Borges] excels in the inside space with a teammate nearby, making it challenging for opponents to press. Britts [Callum Brittain] possesses versatile skills that can be utilised in various situations.I enjoy working with the players because they are adaptable and daring enough to try new things. Two goals from the wingbacks, so that’s really nice!
Brittain was fantastic on Tuesday night, opening the scoring with his first goal for the club. Lankshear scored his tenth goal of the season, and Borges sealed the victory in stoppage time.
Hellberg stated, “Britts has been fantastic.” “He and Neto are deserving of their goals for their hard work and efforts.”Britts scored an incredible goal and delivered another outstanding effort.”It’s important to understand how much the game on Saturday took out of them, including running numbers and the occasion itself.”To then come here and put up such a fantastic performance, both individually and collectively. I’m quite pleased with that.”
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