Middlesbrough tour diary day six: A disappointing end to an otherwise productive trip

It didn't have the best of endings in Lagos on Friday evening, but make no mistake this week in Portugal has proven very beneficial for Middlesbrough. It's so important not to judge too much based on that defeat to Braga.

Most importantly, Braga are a quality side. Boro won't play a team of that quality in the Championship next season, nor will they face the challenges of playing in such temperatures either. Nevertheless, the testing defeat will have given manager Chris Wilder plenty to think about in terms of what they still need to work on before the start of the season.

Meanwhile, it's hard to miss the obvious benefit of the overall trip to Portugal. As well as boosting fitness levels to the point that many players were able to complete 90 minutes in such trying conditions, they were able to work on some more intricate tactical details of their play for next season, while the most obvious was the spirit in the group which grew only stronger during this week away together.

Braga 3-0 Middlesbrough report: Harsh scoreline for Boro as Braga's class shows in Portugal friendly

Anybody who, like myself, has enjoyed watching Matt Crooks' video diaries this week will be able to see that spirit and togetherness of which I refer. Having the pleasure of being allowed inside the camp for two separate training sessions, on top of amazement at how hard they were working in such intense heat, the togetherness and bond among the group was without doubt my biggest takeaway from this trip to Portugal.

If only Boro could have pushed through a transfer deal earlier, those Crooks videos would have been the perfect way of making the announcement in the social media age where gaining as much traction from such matters is important for