--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-09-08T21:40:54.046Z last_updated: 2026-09-08T08:45:47+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/middlesbrough/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2F6ZXR0ZWxpdmUuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvdHJhbnNmZXItbmV3cy9taWRkbGVzYnJvdWdocy1maXJzdC1jbGVhbi1zaGVldC1zaG91bGQtMzQ1ODIyMjU --- # Boro 's first clean sheet should help Kim Hellberg recognise his strongest team - **Source:** - **Published:** 8 Sept - **Club:** Middlesbrough - **Original URL:** https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/middlesbroughs-first-clean-sheet-should-34582225 It’s no coincidence that this coincided with Ashley Phillips starting the game. The immense aerial presence of Phillips, alongside that of Adilson Malanda, meant that Boro did not potentially have a weak spot in the heart of the defence. Many teams, starting with the opening opponents Lincoln City, have realised that Boro are potentially susceptible to crosses into the box. No longer, we must hope. Along with Will Lankshear, the signing of Phillips is the most inspired signing of the summer. He will slot into this team like a duck to water. I’ll bet he’ll be competing with Lankshear for the player of the season award come May. The shut-out at Loftus Road should not be under-estimated. Not only was it Boro’s first of the campaign in the Championship but it was against a QPR team which had promotion on its mind following an extremely bright start to the season. Boro will face much easier games than they did at Loftus Road. It’s a pity that we can’t play the Burnley and Blackburn games all over again. Anyway, it is what it is, and with Phillips in the side, Alfie Jones fit again and Neto Borges playing out of his skin, Boro have a defence which is capable of recording many more shut-outs. They did have a few nervous moments at QPR but the team should continue to settle, especially when they begin to believe in their dominance in the air at the back. Boro have shown an unfortunate tendency to control the first half, take the lead, and then begin to struggle under pressure in the second half. They might finally have found the answer, with Phillips leading the way, while we should not forget the impact which Radek Vitek has made since his arrival. I wasn’t sure whether we really needed a goalkeeper coming in ahead of Sol Brynn in the pecking order, but Vitek has shown a safe pair of hands and made a few outstanding saves already, which inspires confidence in the defence. The keeper has shown a tendency to parry some the shots instead of trying to smother them, but generally he is earning his corn. He will help Boro to become a tough nut to crack. When Boro take the lead in the future, they should be capable of holding it – and that’s a great sign for a promotion-minded side. Get the most comprehensive Middlesbrough news and analysis straight to your Inbox! To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two: “Go out and enjoy yourselves lads!” That is likely to be Kim Hellberg’s final message to his team ahead of the Carabao Cup clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Boro will surely do themselves justice against the Premier League side and cause palace occasional problems. The main thing is that we come through the game smiling and without any injuries. After all the main priority is obvious. We want to see Boro in the Premier League next season – possible even replacing the Eagles. Palace have made a poor start to the new campaign under new boss Pierre Sage though their first win at Fulham on Saturday will have lifted spirits in their dressing room. They will see this game against Boro as one which they should win, but there is also a pressure because Palace will suffer an immense loss of confidence if they lose. It’s a pressure that Boro don’t have. The lads will enjoy trying to prove themselves on a Premier League stage. Hellberg will surely make one or two changes to try to keep everybody fresh. Maybe he will give one or two squad men the chance to impress. Sage doesn’t have that luxury. He has to try to win the game and we can expect to see Palace at full strength. On paper, Palace have not had the best of summers. They lost previous boss Oliver Glasner, whose ability at the helm was without question. Sage is something of an unknown quantity. The Frenchman also is looking at arguably a slightly weaker squad than Glasner after Palace sold two of their better players, Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Munoz, who went to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest respectively for a combined fee of £74m. Palace have brought in seven summer signings and have spent around £53m. The most expensive of these was the central midfielder Anan Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise, who cost £24.5m. There are many more potentially difficult games away to Premier League sides than this one. Boro will surely perform better than they did in their last game against top flight opposition, when they went down 3-1 at Fulham in the FA Cup third round last season. So come on Boro: Go out and enjoy yourselves! This introductory offer saves £384 compared to the standard price, with every package also providing 100 regular channels alongside free Netflix and discovery+ subscriptions.