Middlesbrough are the most in-form team in the Championship and have closed the gap to Coventry City at the top of the league.
When Kim Hellberg became Boro manager, Coventry were 10 points clear. Fast forward to the present, and the Swede managed to reduce the distance to zero.
Middlesbrough won their first four games under Hellberg and each of the last five in the league as well. All of that while playing the best football in the division.
How has Kim Hellberg turned Middlesbrough into a football machine?
Taste for possession
Boro were already a ball-dominant team before Hellberg’s arrival. Rob Edwards had them playing a surprisingly attractive style considering the traits of his Luton Town side from 2022 to 2025.
But the Swede has taken it a few steps further. Not only do they now take the game to the opposition at all times, they also use possession as a way to defend themselves.
Game-state Opta data shows that only two teams in the Championship average 50% or more possession while ahead. Middlesbrough are one of them with quite a bit of margin.
The idea is to keep the ball whenever possible, as shown by their success rate of 85% in their passes. No other team in the division has even gotten to 83%.
This has led to them being an extremely effective side. Boro are the team with the most shot attempts (16.5) and the fewest shots faced (9.0) per game in the league since Hellberg took over.
They also rank first in fewest goals conceded (0.8) and second in goals scored (1.9) per match in this span. Meanwhile, across the top four tiers of English football, only Cardiff City (62.4%) have had more possession than Boro (61.8%).
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It’s a great and sustainable formula that has propelled them to join Coventry at the top of the table. There are risks, however, especially if they end up falling down from the automatic promotion spots.
The Championship play-offs bring a tense atmosphere in which any mistake can cause more damage than usual. But by the looks of it, Middlesbrough might be closer to actually winning the league than going to the play-offs.
Out of possession, the philosophy remains: get it back as quick as possible. Advanced Opta metrics have them first in PPDA (10.7), which means they try to suffocate the opposition up front in order to regain the ball.
Constant movement and rotations
Hellber prioritises keeping the ball and has his players always close to each other to offer options and create lanes.
Their average of passing distance is just 16.9 metres – the lowest in the Championship. They also rarely go long, with just 9% of their passes travelling large distances, also the lowest of any team.
Boro enjoy long passing sequences while patiently trying to generate openings in the attacking half. Every player performs multiple roles in the same game. Midfield duo Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris can often be seen joining the centre-backs to initiate build-up but also move up to the flanks in order to create overloads.
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As of late, Alan Browne has joined them in a line of three, but spending most of his time out wide. Versatility is one of the most important traits a Middlesbrough player can have in 2026.
Striker Tommy Conway is often pulled away from central areas in the heart of the opposing defence. He drops wide to then look for diagonal runs in behind while the centre-backs adjust. The short window while Boro forwards rotate and rival defenders try to set their defensive structure up is of extreme importance in order to gain advantages.
The Morgan Whittaker revival
Morgan Whittaker enjoyed a wonderful 2023-24 season for Plymouth Argyle. After joining Middlesbrough in January 2025, he failed to keep the performances going and looked like a flop.
Rob Edwards couldn’t get the best of him, but things changed as soon as he left to join Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Whittaker scored two goals and provided one assist in 12 Championship games under Edwards this campaign. From the second game without him, however, he went on a six-match run with at least one goal involvement.
Under Kim Hellberg, Whittaker now has 10 goals (7) and assists (3) in 13 league games.
Not only has he been their main goalscoring threat, but also one of the most incisive creators in the team – leading them both in goals (11) and assists (5, alongside Hackney).
Boro’s performances get all the more impressive when you factor in that the Swede has dealt with quite a few injuries in the squad since taking over.
Aidan Morris, Dael Fry, Callum Brittain, Alfie Jones, David Strelec and a few others have all missed time over the past 13 matchdays.
There are still 16 games left for Middlesbrough to play. And this season has taught us to not overreact to a good stretch of football – no matter how real it seems. But as of right now, no team is playing better than Kim Hellberg’s men and he is a big reason why.