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Hull City have been masters of their own downfall this season as they look down the barrel at likely relegation to League One.
This weekend saw the Championship relegation fight tipped on its head as Luton Town notched a fantastic late win against play-off contenders Coventry City, whilst Derby County overturned Hull City, notching a crucial 1-0 away win to cement the Tigers as favourites for the drop.
Hull City boss Ruben Selles gave an assessment of his side that they had ‘done enough’ throughout the tie, as well as in recent games, but they now find themselves starting down the barrel of relegation to League One, a huge shift to last season where they were gunning for the play-offs with an exciting squad of players under Liam Rosenior.
Quite frankly, Hull City have never gotten going this season, and their sleepwalking into relegation has come down to one major concern that simply wasn’t rectified, something that should be blamed on one person at the top of the hierarchy.
Hull City attacking issues have been the root of their downfall
This season, missed opportunities infront of goal have accumulated to the point where they find themselves in, and whilst some of this can come down to the various injuries Hull City have suffered, recruitment also must surely be questioned.
The Tigers, per Footy Stats, have the second worst xG vs actual (scored and conceded) per 90 minutes in the Championship, standing at -0.38, with Luton being the only side with a worse record.
This includes Hull City’s defensive record as well, but considering the fact that they haven’t conceded more than one in a game since their 2-1 defeat away at Coventry City back on the 14th December, it is clear that their toothless nature infront of goal has been the more prominent issue.
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Acun Ilicali failed to plug problem as issues stem from poor recruitment
In the back end of the 2023/24 Championship season, Hull City had the likes of Liam Delap, albeit he was often injured in the latter stages of the campaign, Jaden Philogene, and Fabio Carvalho, all three of which whom carried a potent goal threat, and had an exciting streak about themselves.
Compare that to this season, there aren’t any sides in the Championship that have arguably had such a downgrade in regards to starpower in the frontline, with Hull City’s attacking record being a clear indicator towards that.
Recruitment and the inability to replace the stars from last season has been the main issue for Hull City, and they are feeling the effects of that now as they sit in the relegation spots ahead of the final game of the season.