Hull City Secures Impressive Victory over Manchester United in Premier League Opener
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic kept his strategies for facing Manchester United under wraps for weeks, as revealed by assistant coach Dean Holden on Match of the Day. The Tigers achieved a remarkable 2-0 victory over Michael Carrick’s team on Saturday while implementing a defensive back five.
In preparation for the match, Jakirovic analyzed several of United’s pre-season games, particularly focusing on their recent 4-2 defeat against AC Milan. This insight allowed him to adapt his tactics, which previously exposed United’s defense when they struggled to cover wing-backs.
Holden addressed the tactical adjustments during the post-match interview, stating, “We certainly didn’t copy Ruben Amorim. Sergej had it in the back of his mind for three or four weeks that he wanted to play a back five. He didn’t want to give anything away in pre-season, though, so we played a back four.”
He further elaborated on their tactical preparation, noting, “The easiest thing to do in preparation for it was to use some of the AC Milan clips, and Leeds United played a back three the week before as well, so that helped us with players where the systems looked similar.”
Despite having only 28% possession during the match, Hull’s victory is notably impressive, given Manchester United’s previous third-place finish in the Premier League last season. Holden expressed confidence in the team’s style, stating, “We are comfortable without the ball… We are comfortable in a mid-block – that is one of our biggest strengths – and playing on the counter-attack is as well.”
Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic kept his plan to topple Manchester United on their Premier League return under wraps for weeks, assistant head coach Dean Holden told Match of the Day.
The Tigers produced a sensational 2-0 win over Michael Carrick’s side on Saturday, all while deploying a back five.
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Jakirovic altered his tactics for the game, having watched a couple of United’s pre-season matches, including the 4-2 defeat by AC Milan which was engineered by former boss Ruben Amorim, when he repeatedly switched play to his wing-backs which United’s defence failed to cover.
When quizzed on the tactic, Holden told Match of Day: “We certainly didn’t copy Ruben Amorim. Sergej [Jakirovic] had it in the back of his mind for three or four weeks that he wanted to play a back five.
“He didn’t want to give anything away in pre-season, though, so we played a back four.
“The easiest thing to do in preparation for it was to use some of the AC Milan clips, and Leeds United played a back three the week before as well, so that helped us with players where the systems looked similar.”
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Hull’s win over United, who finished third in the Premier League last season, is perhaps even more remarkable given the Tigers only had 28% of possession.
But seeing limited amounts of the ball is not a cause for concern for Hull, says Holden. “We are comfortable without the ball,” he explained.
“It isn’t like we are coming up here having dominated the Championship and now we have to change our style. We are comfortable in a mid-block – that is one of our biggest strengths – and playing on the counter-attack is as well.”
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