Kim Hellberg’s opinion after Middlesbrough lost 2-0 to Bristol City
Kim Hellberg expressed his ‘strange’ mixed emotions after losing his first game as Middlesbrough manager at Bristol City.
Emil Riis and Rob Atkinson scored goals to consign Boro to a 2-0 defeat, their first under the Swede, who had a terrific start with four wins from four.
Finally, in an open first half, Boro had more than their fair share of chances to take more from the game. But they were also vulnerable to counterattacks, which they hadn’t seen under Hellberg since the opening game against Derby County.
“It’s a weird one,” Hellberg commented later. “You have to have two emotions in your head. You always want to win. I’m quite sad that we didn’t grab any points from this difficult away encounter.
“I watched Bristol a lot. I think they’re an excellent squad. They’ve done many nice things. They have some really good players. They are fierce on their own turf.
“But in terms of performance and how we play, I think we did pretty well away. I believe we had 28 shots, or such, with 18 coming from inside the box.
“I believe those figures reflect the name of the game and how we play a little bit. I appreciated the guys’ energy, how they fought through the game, and how we’re currently playing football. I think that is excellent.”
Recognizing where things did not go so well for Boro that day, he went on to say, “Of sure, there are certain aspects that we need to work on. I told them down there that in the first half, I believe we might improve our rest defense in the counter-marking area.
“That’s a structural issue on my part, so I need to improve my preparedness. This makes it easier for them to make transitions with us. But when we do it well, we keep the ball and continue playing.
“So it’s that strange feeling of being irritated, frustrated, and a little angry about not gaining points, but I’m also quite proud of the players. “How they play football, how active they are, how courageous they are.”
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