City are heading towards the New Year as one of the Championship’s form teams
Hull City under Sergej Jakirovic have given themselves a wonderful chance of going on to secure a play-off place in the second half of the season, providing they continue doing what’s given them success so far.
City ensured they will spend Christmas inside the Championship’s play-offs and will go a long way to ensuring they begin 2026 in the top six if they can avoid any embarrassment at the bottom side, Sheffield Wednesday, on Boxing Day.
Their professional 1-0 win over West Brom on Saturday was their third in a row, and continued what has been a stellar response to the humbling by Middlesbrough at the beginning of the month.
That victory, courtesy of Oli McBurnie’s 10th goal of the season, was their 11th in the first 22 games with only the top two, Coventry City (14) and Boro (12), having won more.
The Tigers’ flourishing season is a far cry from the desperate campaign they suffered last term, and has parallels with the campaign before, when Liam Rosenior’s men went agonisingly close to the top six, missing out on the final day to finish seventh.
Two years on, City under Sergej Jakirovic feel better equipped to go one better than Rosenior’s team did. At Christmas 2023, City were sixth with 36 points, a point less than the 37 they currently have, having played a game more.
Another key factor in their favour is that already, City have won seven games at the MKM Stadium. Under Rosenior, City struggled to win home matches, with the number of draws proving their undoing. It took until the latter stages of the season to secure their eighth and final home win.
While it might not have been quite the golden generation of players at his disposal, Rosenior still had the likes of Jaden Philogene, Liam Delap, Tyler Morton, Fabio Carvalho, Ozan Tufan, Anass Zaroury and Jacob Greaves in his squad, and there remains a feeling that with those players, City underachieved.
Pound for pound, you’d argue that the squad of two seasons ago was better. Under Jakirovic, however, there feels a stronger connection and a greater ability to win games of football.
It could also be argued that in Liam Millar and Mo Belloumi, City have a better balance out wide, and though defensively, Rosenior’s side was a little tighter, there can be no question that the style of play and approach from the Croatian is better suited to scoring goals.
In the second half of the season, the play-offs may prove a step too far for City, or the Tigers may push even further forward and challenge the top two, only time will tell.
At this juncture, however, Hull City under Sergej Jakirovic feel like a squad more capable of sustaining, and eventually securing a place in the top six, rather than the one of two seasons ago.
How do you feel the two squads compare? Have your say in the comments below…
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