ALEX Neil explained why Millwall significantly improved after half-time in his side’s 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.
The Lions were on the back foot for most of the first half at the Riverside Stadium and were lucky to head into half-time only one goal behind after Dael Fry crashed Alan Browne’s cross in at the back post.
Neil made changes at half-time, and Millwall looked much improved after the restart, equalising thirteen minutes into the second half when Josh Coburn’s volley crept over the line.
The match was far more competitive for the last half an hour, with both sides having a chance to take the lead before Coburn, back at the Riverside Stadium for the first time since completing a permanent move to the Lions last summer, curled the ball into the back of the net five minutes from time after Adilson Malinda misplaced a pass.
The result means Millwall leapfrog Middlesbrough into second, three points ahead of Ipswich Town, who have two games in hand.
Neil elaborated on what he changed at half-time and why his side’s first half performance was so subpar.
“First half, I thought Middlesbrough were excellent,” Neil said. “They were far better than us. They moved the ball really well. They deserved a goal. Probably should have got another one in the first half. When we got to half-time at 1-0 I was pleased, because we still had an opportunity in the second half.
“There were a few things. [Adilson] Malanda dropping at the middle of the pitch caused a bit of an issue, because we didn’t plan for that, which is a hard thing to plan for when a centre half drops into the middle of the park and starts popping it about like a prime number six. Then we started jumping from our middle line, then our back line, and it left us a little bit exposed down the sides.
“At half-time, we fixed that. We pressed three versus two. Just dropped back in on them, and then allowed the ball to go to Fry and worked ourselves across. So that gave us more of a platform in the game.
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“The biggest change was: in the first half, they won nearly every duel. There was a lot of talk before the game about how we’re the most dominant team in the air. We never won one header in their own box in the first half. Every corner that came in, they looked as if they were going to score. There were fundamentals there that we just didn’t do well enough.
“Now, whether that’s the occasion, whether they were just better than us, a combination of both, that’s how the game was in the first half.
“Second half, we showed much more composure on the ball. We took a little bit more risk on the ball, which we didn’t in the first half. The quality up to the strikers in the first half was poor. Didn’t give them an opportunity to take the ball on and work around their feet.
“We included the goalkeeper a little bit more. Got the ball out to our full-backs. Got it out to Femi more. Created better opportunities, better quality into the front. Our press was better, so we could turn the ball over a little bit more.
“The second goal comes from Malanda stepping in, playing a slack pass. We nick it, then counter, and we manage to get the goal.
“In both boxes today, particularly second half, I thought we were brilliant. We were a real threat with the ball coming in their box, scored two goals, and then some of the blocks and saves and defending that we had to do throughout the game, we carried that out extremely well.”
