The eye-catching Middlesbrough stat in 2-1 Derby County win that shows Kim Hellberg is already working his magic | OneFootball

Middlesbrough fans have every reason to be encouraged by Kim Hellberg's first game in charge

Kim Hellberg’s first game in charge of Middlesbrough was a complete success on paper, and digging underneath the surface only shines more positivity on the new coach.

The newly-arrived Swede oversaw a 2-1 win over an in-form Derby County on Saturday in his first official match as Boro boss, having taken in the 4-2 defeat by Coventry City earlier in the week from the stands.

Hellberg has stepped into a club enjoying a strong start to the season after previous manager Rob Edwards led a promising run of form before departing for Wolves in November.

It’s not often a manager gets to take over a side already competing for automatic promotion to the Premier League, so it's a privileged position for the 37-year-old, but that privilege comes with a lot of pressure and expectation.

But the manner of the 2-1 victory against the Rams was massively encouraging, particularly the 21 shots that Middlesbrough created from their 73 per cent of possession.

Goals from Matt Targett and Morgan Whittaker late in the second half turned around an early 1-0 deficit after Patrick Agyemang’s second-minute opener, and the result moved the Teesside outfit back into the automatic promotion places.

Middlesbrough’s encouraging first game under Kim Hellberg saw key issue start to be fixed

Middlesbrough have struggled with creating chances so far this season, despite their strong form that has them inside the top two.

Boro rank 20th in the Championship for expected goals (xG), with a total of 19.3 from 18 games, having scored 24 in total (all stats from Fbref).

Their total of actual goals is underwhelming as it is, especially as not only have leaders Coventry City already scored 50 in comparison, but there are two big-money strikers in Tommy Conway and David Strelec at the top end of the pitch.

But the fact they have actually been over-performing their xG all along was potentially a warning sign that it could get worse unless Middlesbrough find better ways to sustainably create good chances.

So, the fact Hellberg’s first game in charge saw the side take over 20 shots is a positive development and that life under the 37-year-old is going to be exciting.

Their 73 per cent possession was also the most the club have held the ball in any league game so far this season, with the previous best coming in their 1-1 draw against Wrexham in late October (69 per cent).

But in that matches, Boro took just 14 shots and created an xG of just 0.8, while their xG total against the Rams was a much better 1.5.

While there is still room for improvement, with the xG per shot totalling at 0.07, it’s a very encouraging start to life for Hellberg.

Kim Hellberg immediately shows he can fix Middlesbrough’s key issue

This was the highest number of shots Middlesbrough have taken in a single game in the entire Championship season so far.

Hellberg has laid down a marker immediately for how his team is going to play, as they controlled more possession and created more chances.

To be able to make such an instant impact on the side’s style of play shows that Hellberg has a firm grasp of what he wants from his players, and should help him make a smooth transition to the club despite the busy schedule.

He hasn’t arrived under ideal circumstances, with Boro now set to play eight times between now and January 4, as well as the new man in charge himself only just finishing a full 2025 season of the Allsvenskan, but Hellberg would have known what he's signing up for when taking the job.

A win at all against Derby would be encouraging, but the manner of the result should have supporters quite excited about what the Swedish coach can achieve at the Riverside.

There will no doubt be some frustrating games ahead, and there will be times when the team have a lot of the ball and they still can’t create enough to get a result, but the signs are strong that Hellberg has a way of playing that will fit this Middlesbrough squad.

Whittaker scoring the winner could be a sign of things to come from the forward too - he's been criticised by many since his move from Plymouth Argyle in January, but he's starting to pop up at important moments now and is making things happen.

Along with the presence of Strelec and Conway at the top end of the pitch, as well as supporting cast members like Kaly Sene and Sontje Hansen, if the new manager can get the best out of the 24-year-old, then that will certainly help with the side’s underwhelming returns in front of goal as he is someone with a proven track record of finding the back of the net at this level, which is exactly what Boro need.