Cautious Middlesbrough lose ground on leaders with goalless Blackburn draw

"Here though Hellberg's preferred configuration looked overly compact and a system built on plenty of slick, short, sharp one and two-touch passing through midfield malfunctioned a little. Admittedly the resultant congestion probably helped limit Cantwell's room for manoeuvre in his often-menacing role behind Blackburn's front two but he remained influential enough to make longstanding home fans pine for a Stuart Ripley or a Stewart Downing offering an outlet down the wings."

"The former Hammarby head coach had hoped to celebrate the completion of his first month in charge at the Riverside after succeeding Rob Edwards with three points but Blackburn, and their irrepressible midfielder Todd Cantwell, in particular, had different ideas. While this draw keeps Boro second in the Championship, eight points behind the leaders Coventry, it raised some serious questions marks about the suitability of Hellberg's narrow 4-2-2-2 formation."

Kim Hellberg stayed on Teesside over Christmas, putting in 12-hour days while his wife and two small children remained in Sweden, ahead of moving the family to North Yorkshire. He hoped to mark the end of his first month in charge with a win at the Riverside, but Middlesbrough drew with Blackburn. The result left Boro second in the Championship, eight points behind Coventry, and provoked doubts about Hellberg's narrow 4-2-2-2 formation. The system's compactness led to midfield congestion and reduced wide attacking options, while Blackburn's Todd Cantwell remained influential behind the front two.

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