New Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic has declared ‘there’s lots of work to do’ having overseen the first three days of pre-season training at his new club. While City’s players began returning last week from their summer break for testing, Monday saw the start of training proper with the new boss getting to work with the players for the first time.
Jakirovic has just six weeks to work with his players before the start of the Championship season, with fresh concern over any expected changes to that squad in the coming weeks after the club were placed under a transfer embargo. While free transfers can still be brought in, City’s ability to reshape the squad has been severely hit.
It doesn’t leave the new manager and his new assistant Dean Holden very long to implement the new philosophy on the club, one which Jakirovic insists will be an attacking one, so long as he can get in the players he wants to fit his style. Speaking before the news of the transfer embargo of how much work is needed with the current squad to be ready for the start of the new season, Jakirovic said: “We need the system, we need the goals, so a lot to work.
“There is a lot of space to improve because the team was not compact, it’s a very big space between the lines, between the players, first and second ball in the midfield, we need power in that part of the pitch, also numbers in front of the players.
“My style, my football philosophy is to adapt as soon as possible to the team, to develop them. I like attacking football style, but also we need such a type of profile of the players. And we train always how we want to play. This is for me the main sentence.
“We aim to build up through middle zone to finishing zone to create a lot of chances. We will see, I like high press also, energy intensity, but we will see what the future brings.”
Jakirovic is keen to improve City through the middle, an area he sees as crucial to his attacking style. With Liam Millar and Mohamed Belloumi to come back into the fold from ACL injuries, the new manager will get reinforcements out wide by time the transfer window closes, but it is the work that needs to be done ahead of that which will be key to any success this season.
Asked directly what he thinks would represent success this season, he added: “Top 10, but I know me, I believe in myself and also with my staff. We delivered a lot in the past, a lot of good results, so we believe in our work and I hope we will be successful here. Top ten and then we will see.”