Hellberg spoke emotionally after Boro’s defeat in the semi-final second leg at St Mary’s about spending time away from his family to watch hours of video in the build-up to the play-offs, while he believed Southampton had cut corners in a way that challenged football’s integrity.
But after a rollercoaster seven days in which he says his emotions were all over the place and included a break to his native Sweden, he was out for dinner with his young family when he found out he would be leading his team out at Wembley.
“You try to balance how much time you can give the players off but keeping them ready to come in,” he said.
“It was better to give them as many days off as possible and try for them to do other things, so you don’t just think about it, wait for it, talk about it. But it’s been very, very tough.”
After a day of sorting out travel arrangements and tickets for family members, Thursday was the first clear day to focus on the task at hand against the Tigers.
But Hellberg says his team will be ready, despite this chaotic and unprecedented preparation.
“There’s no excuses for us,” he added. “We feel we’ll be ready.
“The game is going ahead on Saturday, that’s what everyone wants. It’s best for English football in general. That’s what we’ll do.”
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