Hull City are now on a run of 6 straight Premier League defeats following Watford’s late winner, and Mike Phelan’s men face Southampton this weekend.
Young Hull City left-back Josh Tymon
Josh Tymon has now made 4 starts for Hull City, coming against Bury, Arsenal, Exeter and Bristol City, and the 17-year-old left-back is yet to put a foot wrong. It is that form, twinned with his impressive showing’s for the Tigers youth sides, which have seen Tymon capped 3 times by England’s under-17’s and linked with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton.
Yet, despite having no recognised and fully fit full-backs in their squad since Andy Robertson was injured in Hull’s humiliating 6-1 defeat to Bournemouth, Tymon still hasn’t managed to make a single league appearance. Mike Phelan’s trepidations are understandable, it could be argued, given the pressure already on him as Hull look to get back out of the relegation zone even at this early stage of the season.
When the Tigers entertained Stoke City, Phelan stuck with his 4-5-1 formation, playing Sam Clucas at left-back. Hull looked woeful once more, and the former Manchester United man switched to a 3-5-2 for the final 20 minutes of the game, which was unsurprisingly the Tigers brightest spell. He continued that approach in the EFL Cup, as Hull won away at Bristol City to book a place in the quarterfinals against Newcastle United.
Mike Phelan needs to be brave at Hull City
It was little to no surprise then when Phelan kept the same shape for Hull’s league game away at Watford, and it was a much improved performance on their previous league outings, restricting Watford to zero shots on target and relatively few gilt-edged chances. There were still two major problem areas for the Tigers though, one was that Nordin Amrabat ran Sam Clucas ragged down their left flank, and the other was that they failed to create a great deal in the final third.
Mike Phelan could take an enormous step towards remedying both of these issues by putting Sam Clucas back where he had been arguably Hull’s outstanding player, in the centre of midfield, and giving 17-year-old Josh Tymon the responsibility of playing as a left wing-back. Clucas has the most tackles and second most passes completed in the Hull City squad this season, and Phelan appeared to have found a gem in midfield with the former Chesterfield man.
Getting him back where he played his best football ought to be a priority, especially when he is struggling terribly on the left flank. Phelan needs to get the 26-year-old into central midfield, where he played so well that there were murmurs of an England call-up from some, before he gets the confidence fully sucked out of him. A professional contract and more regular game time for Josh Tymon, especially in the absence of Andy Robertson, also ought to be high up the Tigers ‘to do’ list.
Hull City need to get Sam Clucas back into the centre of midfield
A central midfield trio of Clucas, Livermore and Mason contains a lot of quality, and should be able to hold it’s own against Southampton and the majority of Premier League midfields. Of course, Tymon could well prove to be out of his depth once given regular Premier League outings, but that is an unknown until the youngster is given those opportunities.
When Southampton’s Matt Targett was injured two weeks ago, the Saints didn’t try to shoehorn a midfield player into that left-back slot. Instead, they handed a league debut to Sam McQueen. The youngster had previously only played 8 minutes for the club, over 2 and a half years ago, and spent last season on-loan at Southend, yet they showed faith in his ability. Faith which he repaid, winning a penalty and looking rock solid at the back, merging seamlessly into a highly accomplished Saints defence.
Now, ahead of Claude Puel’s mens trip to the KCOM Stadium, Hull City need to take a leaf out of Southampton’s book, and show faith in one of the brightest homegrown talents they have had at their disposal for a number of years. Josh Tymon has passed every test and audition thrown his way during his short career to date, and it is time for the Tigers to give him the chance to prove his worth in the Premier League.
Should Hull City start Josh Tymon vs Southampton this Saturday?
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