What Kim Hellberg has changed in Middlesbrough training this week to improve goalscoring record

Kim Hellberg needs more goals from his Middlesbrough forwards

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg takes his first training session(Image: Middlesbrough FC)

Kim Hellberg says Middlesbrough have put extra focus on getting into the best possible shooting positions against a low-blocks, as he aims to solve recent goalscoring issues.

While Boro remain second in the Championship table with just eight games remaining, they’ve missed opportunities to be even more comfortable in their race to reach the Premier League.

That’s largely thanks to failing to win any of their last four home games, where scoring goals has been the big problem, with sides happy to come to the Riverside as sit deep to contain Boro and limit their space in the final third.

While that hasn’t stopped Boro creating chances – they’ve 94 shots at goal across those four games – it has impacted their goalscoring record, with missed chances proving costly in each of the four home matches.

Despite that suggesting that Boro are ultimately on the right track and just in need of better finishing in the moment, that hasn’t stopped Hellberg trying to utilise every extra minute on the Rockliffe training pitches this week ahead of the trip to Blackburn, with this being what feels, of late, like a rare week without a midweek match.

Offering insight into their training focus, Hellberg said: “We work on improving everything, and then the games lead you forward. Of course we always work to score more goals because that’s what you need.

“We have developed a lot in terms of the goal numbers from the early stage of the season. We’ve scored more than that initial period. But, of course, it’s come in spells where we haven’t scored as much as we want to.

“So looking at ways to improve, that is what we’re trying to do every day. You try to develop from the games and now we train a lot on trying to break down teams that end up lower down.

“When you don’t get a pre-season, you start in the middle of the season, and it’s been very intense with a lot of games. So the games take you where you need to keep working forward.

FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! Keep up with all the Middlesbrough FC latest via the Gazette’s dedicated Facebook page

“That means that for us it’s been a change from the beginning when there were more things in terms of our build-up – to get there – because, to be honest, the team didn’t get there enough. Now we get there all the time.

“So now we switch in terms of: how do we get into even better positions? That’s the journey in terms of being a coach. You don’t have a planner for every week, it changes all the time depending on what you need and what the team needs. That’s what we’re always trying to do.”

Hellberg will hope that extra work pays off this weekend when Boro travel to Blackburn Rovers who, despite being at home, are expected to take stock from how Bristol City and Charlton contained Boro, and also operate with the low-block.

———-

Here at TeessideLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Middlesbrough FC coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest Boro news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

Your information will be hidden, you’ll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.