Mike Phelan has praised the quality of Arsenal’s squad, but is relishing the challenge of facing them at the KCOM Stadium this Saturday.
Mike Phelan is looking forward to facing Arsenal
Hull City kickoff a tough trio of league fixtures against Arsenal this weekend, shortly followed by Liverpool and Chelsea. The Tigers caretaker boss Mike Phelan isn’t daunted though, telling the clubs official website that he is relishing the challenge of coming up against the biggest and best the Premier League has to offer.
The former Manchester United man has reason for optimism, his Hull City side who were written off before the start of the season have made a very promising start. They made history when they defeated the champions on the opening day, adding a victory away at Swansea in their second match.
Hull City have made a flying start to the season
Two wins, one draw and one late defeat to Manchester United sees Hull sitting pretty in seventh place, level on points with this weekends opponents Arsenal. The Gunners have had a mixed start to the season, but two wins from their last two games in the league and a draw away at PSG is a little run of form Arsene Wenger will be pleased with.
Mike Phelan certainly isn’t underestimating the North Londoners, today saying, “It will be a tough game against a top team full of excellent players.”
Whilst Phelan acknowledges the Gunners quality, he is also quietly aware that, as with most games he’ll be involved in this season, the pressure is all on the opposition.
“The spotlight will be on Arsenal. We’ve conducted ourselves really well so far and we’ll be up for this challenge.”
Phelan replaced Steve Bruce as caretaker manager at Hull City over the summer
“Our players are enjoying themselves in the Premier League and Saturday’s game is another great one for us to take on board. It’s about how we approach the game and it’s important that we show our true selves, like we have done in recent games.”
Phelan’s side have built themselves on a foundation of being hard to beat and tough to break down, frustrating the opposition and looking to get forward quickly with good numbers when possible. They may be built on a strong defence, but they’ve had decisiveness and speed with their attacks too.
“We’re into a difficult spell of fixtures, but the Premier League is a magnificent competition and the players have earned the right to be playing against these top teams. Arsenal are a fabulous team with a certain way of playing football and they challenge you all of the time in different areas of the field.”
Arsene Wenger will be hoping to make it three wins from three in the Premier League on Saturday
“We know what we have to do and how we have to approach the game. Concentration and the mental side of the game are going to be important, but we also have to play in the game as well because we’re not going out there just to accept what Arsenal want to throw at us.”
As Phelan says, concentration is key to the way Hull City are playing under him. The likes of Curtis Davies and Jake Livermore have been outstanding in defence for Hull, but just one mistake or lapse in concentration is likely to be punished at this level, as it proved in injury time against Manchester United.
The Tigers caretaker boss certainly doesn’t seem to expect to see his team turned over anytime soon, as many expected them to be before the season started. He confidently stated today that, “We have to make the game. We’ve done it in the past and I’m sure we’ll do it again.”
Robert Snodgrass has been in inspired form this season
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, will still be under a great deal of pressure to secure all three points. Arsenal may have come away from the Parc des Princes having rescued a point, but his team selections are being routinely criticised.
The biggest question mark over Wenger’s selection policy this weekend is in the centre of midfield. Many Arsenal fans want to see Granit Xhaka there, rather than Francis Coquelin, and Santi Cazorla tired badly during their midweek Champions League tie, possibly opening up the door for Mohamed Elneny.
Phelan himself now has a selection headache, with David Marshall, Ryan Mason and Markus Henriksen all likely to be pushing for starts. He stayed loyal to his early season players for the Tigers trip to Burnley, whether he does the same for the visit of Arsenal remains to be seen.
Who will come out on top between Hull City and Arsenal this weekend?
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