Sergej Jakirovic’s decision to change the shape of his Hull City team at half-time last Saturday against Ipswich Town has sparked plenty of discussion in the days since.
After moving from his preferred 5-4-1 setup and its variations, to a 4-3-3 in the second half last week, City produced a rousing display to come from a goal down in what had been an awful first half, to lead 2-1 only to be pegged back to a 2-2 draw.
Now, Jakirovic faces the rather daunting challenge of trying to pick a team and setup that gives his side the best possible chance of causing something of an upset and getting a result at Arsenal on Saturday.
It’s hard to imagine the Croatian will go with anything other than the setup that had largely worked well in the early weeks of the Premier League. If he arrives at the home of the champions and goes with a 4-3-3, he may come unstuck, so it’s likely the setup we saw in all three play-off games, followed by the bulk of the season so far, will be in operation.
He’ll just hope his players deliver better than we saw three weeks ago at Fulham, and then in that first half against the Tractor Boys, because if that’s replicated, it will be a long afternoon.
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That then raises the question of changes. Does he make any, or does he start with the same eleven that kicked off a week ago at the MKM Stadium, and just demand more? Nobel Mendy struggled on his return to the team, but it’s likely he’ll keep his place alongside John Egan and former Arsenal man Semi Ajayi.
Ajayi, incidentally, was on the bench for the Gunners alongside Mikel Arteta the last time the Tigers scored at the Emirates, back in 2014 when Steve Bruce’s men earned a 2-2 draw thanks to Mo Diame and Abel Hernandez.
Arguably his biggest decision comes on the flank, and whether he sticks with Ryan Giles and Elliot Stroud, or brings back former Gunner Brooke Norton-Cuffy. There’s also a case for adding in an extra midfielder to try and give the Tigers a bit more stability in the middle of the park, given they will be up against Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and possibly Bruno Guimarães. They were outnumbered against Ipswich Town, and found the going tough. Egan was pushed further forward in the latter stages of the first half, before Matt Crooks came on and the shape changed.
If he opts for another midfielder and goes a bit narrower without Stroud, Hidemasa Morita would have been an option after he made a positive difference last weekend, but he’s now injured, which could maybe open the door for Luca Gourna-Douath or even Norton-Cuffy to give City legs on the counter. That would see a midfield three with Belloumi in support of McBurnie.
There will, however, be at least one change on the bench with Crooks suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season, which will open the gates for a potential return to the squad for Robino Vaz or Sorba Thomas.
City’s predicted XI to face Arsenal: Tzolakis, Giles, Egan, Mendy, Ajayi, Coyle, Slater, Iroegbunam, Norton-Cuffy, Belloumi, McBurnie.
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