The Tigers threw away a half-time lead to lose at Vicarage Road
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic says his side have to cut out the defensive errors after watching them throw away a half-time lead to lose 2-1 at Watford, admitting it was causing him genuine concern.
City were so in control in the first half and were in front when Oli McBurnie slammed in after 25 minutes with home fans calling for their head coach Paulo Pezzalano to be sacked as they were booed off.
The Tigers hit the post through Oli McBurnie and Cody Drameh missed a gilt-edged chance to make it 2-0, but City were a different beast in the second half and struggled to get to grips with the Hornets, who created chances with alarming ease.
Imran Lauza levelled up on the hour with a cool finish, and Vivaldo Semedo made it 2-1 with 12 minutes to go, leaving City to reflect on a third league defeat.
The 14 goals they’ve conceded are also the worst in the Championship and are proving a major concern for Jakirovic, who hasn’t seen his side keep a clean sheet since the opening day at Coventry City.
“We are disappointed and frustrated. I was with the players now, and they are obviously disappointed,” Jakirovic told Hull Live. “I think this is the best half since I’ve been here because we were playing very good and maybe we didn’t finish the game, to score, to put the ball in the net.
“We knew at half-time they would step out maybe with more risk. It’s normal because you are behind 1-0, but we didn’t play good (in the second half). We were poor on the ball, lost the ball very quickly, and then it’s pressure on you.
“I don’t know why, because nothing changed in their tactics. Maybe they had more courage on the ball. They are dangerous on the counter-attack, and that’s the reason we played with Coylely and Cody on the right side.
“We conceded two very cheap goals; we can defend it. It bothers me because conceding 14 goals is too much, so we need to improve that.
“Set pieces, every time, we struggle. They are jumping so easily, and I don’t know why. Maybe this is down to responsibility. Before every game, in every meeting, we have clear demands on who will take the opponent’s player, and for me, this is not acceptable. We need to change that; otherwise, we will have big problems.
“When you dominate and you have the moments in play, you have to score the goal. We had those moments and something we need to change.”
Jakirovic also admitted he was surprised by the reaction of the home fans, who were calling for Paulo Pezzolano to be sacked after McBurnie’s goal.
“I’m wondering now what will happen with the coach,” he added. “They won the game, what now? Will they sack him or will he keep his job? For me, this is ridiculous. This is sport and in football, everything is possible. Every team in this league has quality.
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