Ruben Selles explains Hull City changes during disappointing Coventry City loss
The Tigers wretched run continued in the Midlands on Saturday
Ruben Selles says the changes he made during the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Coventry City were to protect some of his players at the end of a three-game week.
City were beaten again, despite leading for the second game in a row to leave them rooted to the bottom of the table and without a win in more than seventy days, with Selle unable to spark a recovery against the Sky Blues, who deservedly claimed a second win under Frank Lampard.
Selles took off winger Abu Kamara at half-time, just moments after his cross played a pivotal role in Joao Pedro’s opening goal before Ryan Giles and Kasey Palmer were withdrawn just before the hour.
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Palmer looked to have a problem when he embraced Selles in the technical area, while Giles had struggled through the CBS Arena contest, but Selles said those changes were made as precautions after three games in the space of a week and a big one to come next weekend at home to Swansea City.
No, he (Kamara) was not injured, but he twisted his ankle a little bit. He has had a hard week in terms of the games and a lot of high-speed distance, especially at the end of the first half, his body just said it could not carry more, especially with that twisted ankle. We needed that freshness from that position, so that was the reason (he came off).
“I don’t think so (doubt for next weekend). It was more about the protection so we don’t lose him for four to six or eight weeks with an injury. That’s why we were working in those margins with the players because it has been an intense week with three games in seven days.
“He’s (Palmer) OK. It was a small thing we thought that we needed, a little bit of a different presence in that number eight positions, and that’s why we changed them in the half-time, and then that’s why we switched it in the second half.
“Yes, he’s (Giles) OK. Again, we knew that with the minutes Ryan had played, it was a big step to demand that he would play two 90 minutes in three days. Those are the things that we need to manage. Sometimes I know it’s not pretty, or we would like to keep them on for 90 minutes or 90+, but sometimes that’s the reality.”
Selles also reserved praise for Mason Burstow, who made a positive impact when he came off the bench at the break in place of Kamara and, in truth, could have scored late on when he angled an effort over the bar from the edge of the box.
“Yeah, I think he did (play well). He made an impact in the game as he did on Wednesday, but we also thought that we would need that energy in the second half, and that’s what he brought to us.
“We created some situations, and we also conceded some situations, but I think overall, if we look at the performance, we can do better.”
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