Kim Hellberg told to fix the biggest Middlesbrough problem Rob Edwards had | OneFootball

FLW's Boro fan pundit has issued the one thing he wants to see improve under Kim Hellberg, as and when he's appointed

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It seems only a matter of time before Kim Hellberg is appointed as Middlesbrough's new manager.

The 37-year-old is looking increasingly likely to take the reins at The Riverside, with a work permit and a £250k compensation fee to his current club, Hammarby, to navigate before things can be announced.

Usually, a manager would be afforded a period of time to put their stamp on things and change the culture somewhat around the club once they arrive, but given the nature of the job Hellberg is set to arrive at, there might not be too much to change drastically.

The squad showed in their first game after Rob Edwards was stood down, an impressive 2-1 win against a red-hot Birmingham City side, that they have the quality to perform for any manager.

And given Boro's position in the table and impeccable defensive record, this Middlesbrough side doesn't seem too far off from being the finished product needed to earn promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.

However, there's one thing that FLW's Boro fan pundit, Matthew Rowney, wants to see fixed, and it's about their productivity in front of goal.

Middlesbrough fan pundit urges attacking improvement under Kim Hellberg

Boro's strengths so far this season have clearly been in defence, but their attacking numbers leave a lot to be desired.

Their expected goals tally is currently the third worst in the league, and they rank in the bottom half of clubs for chances created. They may be in the top ten when it comes to goals scored, but for a club with promotion ambitions, Middlesbrough fans want to see the ball hit the back of the net more often.

"I think the biggest issue Kim Hellberg needs to fix at Middlesbrough is unlocking the best part of our attack," Rowney said.

"I think everything that Rob Edwards has left behind, as controversial as his departure was, has put us in a good position in the league with a very solid and incredibly good defence, which doesn't concede many chances and doesn't concede many goals.

"Our biggest problem under him was at the top end of the pitch to where we were struggling to create at all.

"No real patterns of play, you couldn't really see what we were trying to do under Edwards when it came to creating chances or carving open opposition. We were pretty blunt and had the worst xG in the Championship."

Middlesbrough are still in the top two, and their start after 15 games mirrors that of Leeds United's and betters Burnley's from last season, the two sides who went up with 100 points.

However, prior to Edwards' departure, Boro had won just two of their last eight, scoring more than once on one occasion.

"I think we were starting to see that, once we stopped being so efficient going forward and perhaps stopped overperforming in front of goal, you could start to see us dropping off," Rowney continued.

"The poor attacking numbers were starting to level out, and we were beginning to struggle in games. When we'd go a goal down, you knew we weren't going to come back and win.

"So if Hellberg can take what we were good at previously, our very good defence, and if he can keep us solid in that department whilst also getting the best out of our attacking players and help us score more goals, then we should have the perfect team.

"That's easier said than done, but it's definitely at the top end of the pitch where he needs us to improve."

Middlesbrough have the tools to be a free-flowing attacking side

In recent seasons under Michael Carrick, Boro have been one of the better attacking sides in the Championship, whilst boasting an average at best defensive record.

They ranked fifth for both xG and big chances two seasons ago, and last season had the third-best xG and were second to Leeds for shots on target per match.

Granted, Boro don't seem to have that focal point up top like they had with the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath or Chuba Akpom over the past few years, but they just finished the chances. This season, they're struggling to even create them.

Ultimately, this means that Middlesbrough still boast attacking talent through the likes of Hayden Hackney, Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway, among others, to see those numbers return.

What's been refreshing to see this season at The Riverside is how resolute Boro are defensively, but that seems to have come at the cost of a decrease in attacking output.