The City boss is preparing for his first experience of a festive fixture list
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic says the club’s current top six position means nothing with his only focus on picking up as many points as possible over Christmas rather than worrying where the Tigers sit in the table come the end of the festive season.
A return to winning ways on Wednesday night elevated City back into a play-off position, just four points off today’s opponents Millwall, who sit in third-place. While the nature of the performance against the Welsh outfit more than merited a victory, Jakirovic admitted that had it not been for a second-half penalty save the outcome could have been much different.
Such are the fine margins in an always competitive and unpredictable Championship, that this season is taking that moniker to a whole new level, had City lost on Wednesday they would be sat 14th and not sixth. That would have meant the Tigers were closer to a Sheffield United team in 17th that until recently have endured a torrid campaign, than Millwall in third.
Aware of how quickly fortunes can change, Jakirovic is hammering home the message of keeping the focus on performance over a busy period where 18 points are on offer between today and January 4.
“Right now we are in the top six, but it doesn’t mean anything. If you lose a game or two in a row you immediately drop to 12th or 15th. The target is to win every game. It will be very demanding this month but it is the target.”
A run of six games in three weeks starts this afternoon at Millwall and concludes at home to Watford in the new year, providing the City head coach with a new experience of managing a busy festive period.
“December is a time for celebration, it is a time for drinking and eating in my opinion,” added Jakirovic, who is welcoming friends from Croatia at today’s match and will soon greet his wife and children for the Christmas period.
“It is completely different as I am used to having a break, but the most important people are the players and they are used to having games.
“I think in this period we will see some weird results. For the players there are Christmas parties and it is my job to keep their focus and concentration. They need to be focussed on the pitch and I hope we keep that focus, because when we are organised and have the energy like on Wednesday we have shown how good we can be.
“Every game is difficult here in England, especially away from home. Millwall is a tough place with loud fans and they will try put pressure on us, but for me it is just another game. What is most important is we have good energy and intensity on the pitch.
“They will give us the ball because this is how they are playing, but we need to be careful with set pieces as they are a tall team. We will try play our own style and I hope we play like Wednesday with the same energy and we are compact on the pitch. We know what we need to do.”
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