Four things I've noticed about Leeds United's next opponents Hull City since new head coach arrival

Daniel Farke and his team of Leeds analysts will certainly have taken note of the material changes to the way in which Hull play since Selles was appointed at the beginning of December. The Spaniard has taken charge of six games now, winning two, losing three and drawing one.

Despite not having a great deal of time to work with his new squad on the training pitch, there have been a number of notable differences to the way in which the Tigers play compared to Selles' predecessor Tim Walter.

While City are still not the most adventurous or prolific going forward, they have averaged 0.98 xG (Expected Goals) per game under Selles, which is easier said than done against likely play-off trio Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough and Watford. Additionally, over Hull's last four games - as Selles' squad have begun to get to grips with their new coach - the Tigers have limited their opponents to an average of 0.88 xG per game, a figure which belies their current position in the table.

Most notably, 22nd-place Hull are contesting games with less possession than they had typically enjoyed under Walter. In only one of their last six games, all of which with Selles in the dugout, have City had more of the ball than their opponent, averaging 41.7 per cent possession across those six matches. Over the entire season, only Millwall have had less of the ball, with an average of 40 per cent possession.

Selles has focused primarily on defensive solidity at the MKM Stadium, keeping Hull in games long enough that they can potentially snatch points at the death. Against Watford, which ended 1-1, Hull took the lead in the 82nd minute having kept the Hornets at bay for the most part. Most recently, against Middlesbrough, City looked to have kept one of the division's top-scoring sides quiet, before Alex Gilbert's 93rd-minute winner, however, it was not as if Boro had enjoyed a multitude of chances throughout the fixture.

Whilst not blessed with an abundance of available attacking talent, considering the injuries to Liam Millar and Bachir Belloumi, Selles has switched from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3 with former Premier League midfielder Steven Alzate anchoring the side in front of the centre-halves. The 26-year-old Colombian international has been particularly impressive in this role from a defensive perspective. This tactical switch allows Hull to pack the midfield with a third body when defending and asks the wide attackers to drop in to create a 4-5-1/5-4-1 setup out of possession.

The Tigers are more compact than the version which met Leeds at Elland Road earlier in the campaign, therefore United should not visit Humberside expecting three points to be a foregone conclusion given Hull's standing in the table. Farke will look to their two most recent outings, a 1-0 victory at Ewood Park over Blackburn, and the narrow, stoppage time defeat to Michael Carrick's Boro, as a warning that Leeds must bring the game to their hosts and, crucially, take their chances.

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