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# Boro's 'wow' factor as Kim Hellberg's summer transfer vision becoming a reality

- **Source:** 
- **Published:** 24 Oct
- **Club:** Middlesbrough
- **Original URL:** https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/middlesbroughs-wow-factor-kim-hellbergs-34811727

Everyone could see Boro needed a goalscorer. They quickly identified long-time target Will Lankshear and got their man. He moved to 13 goals in 15 games with his brilliant brace against Bolton Wanderers on Friday evening.

There were other areas that they collectively decided to strengthen too, but the one element Hellberg was so keen to add more of was pace. He referenced so often during the early weeks of pre-season to his need for speed.

The vision Hellberg had for his side was in full swing during the 5-1 victory at Bolton, with Tommy Conway and Amario Cozier-Duberry tearing through the Wanderers backline like a hot knife through butter.

“I think we showed some things that we didn't have last season, and we worked very hard with our transitions,” Hellberg said after. “We weren't good enough on transitions last season, and also how we run in behind the line.

“It is something we worked very hard to improve, because that will be a key thing in today's football when teams are very, very compact, but maybe don't go to low blocks that early. So you have to go in behind them. I'm very happy with that.”

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Hellberg had identified Bolton’s high line and the potential to hurt them in behind during his pre-match analysis.

It was noted after last weekend’s draw against Cardiff City that he perhaps overthought, and maybe overcomplicated, his game plan for that one - getting the balance wrong between being wary of what the opposition do and imposing your own style on the game.

Against a Bolton side every bit as eager to play their game, this was Boro and Hellberg using that opposition analysis perfectly, and using it to help Boro hurt the opposition.

Boro went in behind so often, using the pace of Conway and Cozier-Duberry, as well as full-back Callum Brittain so ruthlessly throughout.

Encouragingly, Max Arfsten, Jeremy Sarmiento and Kyle Joseph showed glimpses they can do similar should there ever be a need to rest the starting forwards.

The pace, the running in behind, the ability to be a lot more ruthless in the transition was all part of Hellberg’s vision for how he wanted to transform Boro from last season’s profligates to what he hoped would be a promotion-winning machine this term.

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The signs at this stage are very positive indeed. There was a ‘wow’ factor about Boro’s performance at Bolton. The biggest win of Hellberg’s reign, the impressive thing is that the Swedish head coach wasn’t sure whether he could call it the best performance of the season.

“There were moments where you have that ‘wow’ feeling,” he said of watching his side. “The second goal, where I saw now that Ash jumped over the ball and Riley puts Tommy in… that's the thing we like!

“We had so many good attacks and we were running in behind. They could never rest. We were brave on the ball, we overlap, we run… I am very happy.

“A lot of people will judge us very hard, but if you look at the numbers, we’re up there in absolutely everything - a top, top level.

“This performance was very good, but we’ve also been up there a lot of times lately. But maybe it was over [their best performance]. Over 90 minutes, that was very strong.”

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