When Mike Phelan was sacked just a few days after the New Year, the club were in a mess and were seen as one of the sides who were very likely to go down. Marco Silva, a young but experienced coach, was given the reigns in what seemed like a desperate move. There were many who doubted the move, not because of Silva’s ability, but owing to the simple fact that he had worked with clubs who had good squads, battling it out towards the top end of the table, unlike Hull.
Silva’s arrival has seen a remarkable turnaround in performances on the pitch. Hull looked abject under Phelan and barring a couple of unexpected results, there was nothing worth remembering. The former manager neither found his strongest team nor did he do anything spectacular in terms of tactics to stop the rut which had taken Hull to the bottom of the league table.
Silva’s meticulous approach in training has seen the players perform to their true abilities. Granted, Hull didn’t have the best of squads, but the likes of Tom Huddleston and Ryan Mason often put in subpar performances despite the obvious presence of talent.
Games against the top sides have actually helped
What many thought could have been an obstacle for Hull has actually been a boon in disguise. Since Silva took over, the side has faced some big teams. Fixtures against Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal have yielded four points and even in the defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal, the club impressed many with their tenacious and fearless approach. Heck, they even overshadowed Arsenal in terms of possession in the first half and were denied a lead due to some poor finishing.
The games against the bigger sides have brought the best out of the team. These are games where you can ill-afford to make small mistakes. The margin is very thin and Hull have learned that the hard way against Chelsea and Arsenal which will help them in the coming games when they face Burnley, Swansea and Leicester, teams in the bottom half of the table.
Things are really tight at the foot of the table but if Hull can get a purple patch, they can pull away. Their recruitment has been really pragmatic as they have brought in as many as five loan signings. And these aren’t just average players signed from unknown leagues. Players like Markovic, Grosicki and Ranocchia have a lot of ability and you’d expect them to join a mid-table club. If Silva can get these lot to play to their abilities in the remaining months, just like he has done so far, they could look at a potential mid-table finish themselves.
