Hull City Fan View: Rejuvenated Abel Hernandez key to Premier League survival

Despite many Hull City fans, including myself, being highly sceptical of the decision to replace manager Mike Phelan with untested Premier League manager Marco Silva in the first week of January, so far the Portuguese has greatly impressed.

With our first win in the Premier League for two months coming against Bournemouth last Saturday, and safe passage through to the next round of the FA Cup after victory over fellow strugglers Swansea City, there is a definite air of optimism, not only amongst the Hull City faithful, but also amongst the squad. Following a spell on the sidelines with a hernia, Abel Hernandez is one player looking very keen to impress the new boss.

It’s been no secret that Hull City’s squad, the smallest in the Premier League this season, has at times made team selection near impossible for the manager. ‘Square pegs in round holes’ somehow doesn’t cover it when we have seen the likes of Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone play at the heart of defence, David Myler and Harry Maguire play right-full back, and Sam Clucus play at left-back, however, arguably our most problematic position of the season has been up-front, where for much of Mike Phelan’s short reign our only fit out-and-out striker was Dieumerci Mbokani, who was forced to play up-top alone in a series of negative formations, completely isolating the Congolese international.

However, despite Mbokani’s brief departure for the African Cup of Nations, the new coaching style of Marco Silva combined with a rare slice of luck in terms of the return of injured Abel Hernandez, and our owner finally allowing a few players to be brought in, has seen the Tigers finally be able to play with two strikers during the first three games of Silva’s tenure, and what a difference it has made.

Last season’s top scorer Hernandez has scored three in three games during this period, including an impressive brace against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth on Saturday, and looks a completely new player to the one we saw at the start of this season under Phelan. Maybe the reason for this is simply that he is now fully fit and feels recharged after a lengthy break, however, there is certainly an argument to suggest he has simply reacted positively to a complete change in coaching style, with Silva’s more continental approach more likely to get the best out of the Uruguayan. Based on his performance, and the general attitude he displayed, on Saturday, I would say the latter is more likely.

Hernandez is a frustrating player – after watching him for three seasons now, City fans know there is a world class player in there, and one that can score the goals to keep us in the Premier League, but he is just not consistent enough. I think if Phelan was still managing the side, the chances of Hernandez still being a Hull City player by the end of January were slim, especially with former manager, and Hull City legend, Steve Bruce apparently keen. However, with the new man in Silva coming in, completely revitalising the squad’s training regime and style of play, as well as bringing a few players in, I get the impression Hernandez may now stick with the Tigers until the end of the season at least, with the idea that Premier League survival may now be a lot more achievable. If he is correct and we do survive, I am certain his goals from now until May will prove priceless.

With Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal our next three Premier League games, points will be few and far between this month.

However, as I discussed in my last blog, if Silva can keep Hull City in-and-around the pack and not cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, before taking advantage of our relatively moderate run-in of games at the end of the season, City have a great chance of surviving this season.

If this is to happen, we must, for one, stop shipping bloody stupid penalties, but equally as importantly, we must start taking more of our chances at the other end. If we manage to keep hold of the talismanic Robert Snodgrass this month, and provide more support to Hernandez up-top, perhaps in the shape of new loanee Oumar Niasse and ‘playmaker’ Evandro, I see no reason why the rejuvenated Uruguayan international can’t fire us to Premier League safety.