As the final whistle signalled the end of a miserable trip to Swansea, many Hull fans were left scratching their heads as to what had changed on the pitch. The side that had at one point sat at the summit of England's second division now found themselves in free fall, with the optimism of the opening weeks of the season quickly fading.
This poor performance was best typified by the displays of Jean Michaël Seri and Ozan Tufan. The midfield duo had been seen as two of Hull's marquee signings, boasting the highest wages throughout the squad. However, the once promising players proved a problem, they now seemed unable to play well together when both on the pitch, lacking the ability they had shown early on in the season.
The pair were brought to East Yorkshire during a Summer transfer window that saw 16 incomings in a complete overhaul of the team that finished 19th last season. The arrival of Seri at the MKM stadium had arguably conjured the most excitement. The 31 year old was a vital part of the Fulham side that stormed the Championship last time out, making him a key asset in an ambitious Hull squad. Tufan's signing had invoked a mixed reaction amongst Hull fans with a poor loan spell at Watford raising questions over his ability to perform in England and issues with fitness and weight prompting doubts before a ball had even been kicked.
Despite their contradictory receptions from the Hull faithful, the two players lined up together for the first day of the season. Seri and Tufan's first competitive action in black and amber ended in a well fought 2-1 win against Bristol City, the side that had beaten the Tigers 5-0 exactly three months ago.
The impact of the new signings was instant with both players getting on the scoresheet. Tufan was the first to hit the net, cooly dispatching a penalty in the 72nd minute to give hope to a Hull side that had been trailing since the half hour mark. Seri then secured all three points for the home team with a deflected shot beating Daniel Bentley with only seconds left in the game.
New signing, Ozan Tufan slots home a penalty on his Hull City debut
The goal from the Ivorian capped off an excellent individual display in his first outing in black and amber. Seri had played his natural role of defensive midfielder, commanding the centre of the pitch as well as dropping in to support the backline when the opposition attacked. This impressive showing ending in the debutant completing four successful tackles (the joint most on either team) and making 10 ball recoveries to cap off a dominating performance. Seri was a constant nightmare for the Bristol attackers, winning five ground duels and beating the opposition in the air at every opportunity, impressive for a man who only stands at less than five and half feet tall.
His Turkish teammate offered an equally as impressive output on the attacking end. The 27 year old accounted for almost half of all the shots taken by Hull, showing his preference for pushing forward and helping the attack. The start of the second half saw the Turk take on an ambitious strike off a well worked corner routine, only to find his effort denied by the woodwork. This eye for goal made Tufan appear a strong addition to a side that averaged less than a goal a game last season, showing a clear need for someone to step up and produce chances.
It was evident from the opening game of the season that Seri and Tufan would be the spine of Hull City's new look side. The Ivorian would sit deep, doing the defensive leg work whilst the Turkish international would play in the opponents half, creating chances and using his ability to strike the ball on the edge of box to keep the opponents on their toes.
Jean Michaël Seri celebrates his last minute goal against Bristol City
Unfortunately, this playing relationship failed to materialise in future fixtures with both signings missing subsequent games due to injury and fitness issues. Seri picked up a calf injury following the second game of the season, keeping him out of action for almost a month. Tufan then had his own injury concerns when he was substituted just 21 minutes into the Tigers 5-2 loss at the hands of West Brom. The Turk had suffered a muscle fibre tear meaning he would spend the next two ties watching from the sidelines.
The injury problems the two faced meant that the midfield partnership that looked so formidable in their first game together would not reunite until the ninth game of the season, a 3-0 home loss to Stoke City. The Seri and Tufan that had synchronised so well in the Bristol game were nowhere to be seen. The Ivorian failed to make a single tackle and only won a third of his ground duals, a far cry from the commanding performance over a month ago. In an identical fashion, Tufan looked a shadow of his former self, only taking one shot all game, a wasteful shot in the tenth minute that wouldn't worry any goalkeeper. Perhaps it could be put down to a lack of match fitness or just a bad day but both players had clearly lost what had made them so great in the 2-1 win in late July.
Stoke City celebrate scoring against Hull City in a 3-0 win
These performances were then carried over into the next game, the abysmal 3-0 loss at the hands of Swansea. Seri once again failed to make a tackle, and his painfully low five ball recoveries painted a picture of a man lost in the middle of the pitch as opposed to a leader in the midfield. Tufan had put in an equally as forgettable time on the field. The 27 year old was on the pitch for the full duration of the game but failed to create a single chance, with a blocked shot on the edge of box being the only opportunity for the Turkish international.
These games clearly raise the question of what has gone wrong to see two of Hull's stand out players descend into mediocrity. The clearest answer to this is the change in the roles that the two players have undertaken since their respective injuries.
This positional alteration is best shown in the heat maps of both players from the Bristol and Swansea games, these graphics depict the positions in pitch in where players touch the ball over the course of the game. Below are the heat maps of Seri (left) and Tufan (right) from the first game of the season. Seri's shows a concentrated amount of touches in his own half, depicting a diligent defensive performance from the midfielder with very few forward runs. Tufan's on the other hand shows his touches are spread across the length of the opponents half with very little work on the defensive end. This shows why the pairing was so effective during this game as Seri's regimented nature in front of the backline created a platform for Tufan to join the attack, creating chances whilst keeping a stable defensive structure.
Seri (left) and Tufan (rights) heat maps from the Bristol City game
This acts in direct contrast to that of the Swansea game in which both Seri (left) and Tufan (right) appear to distribute their touches equally amongst both halves of the pitch. This suggest a focus on Seri to get forward and progress the ball as opposed to sitting deep and protecting the defence. This increased attacking role for the Ivorian saw him create two chances and produce one shot however, at the cost of his defensive output. Tufan also suffered from the change in tactics with the Turkish international being forced to track back more and pick up the ball in his own half due to the lack of a true defensive midfielder. This left Tufan out of position when attacks started, meaning he was unable to contribute to chances in the same way he had against Bristol.
Seri (left) and Tufan (right) heat maps against Swansea
With the dugout at the MKM stadium currently empty, there are a lot questions surrounding the future of the championship side. Despite this, whoever takes the helm of the East Yorkshire club should focus on solving the Tufan and Seri problem by allowing them to focus on their specialties rather than forcing them to play in unnatural positions.
If Hull City are to fulfil the lofty ambitions set at the start of season, it is vital that the two players earning the highest wages can play well together. It is clear that when in their best positions, both midfielders can excel, making the whole team play better as a result. However, if they continue to play as they did in South Wales, Hull's ambitions will not be achieved and their star players will only continue to underperform.
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