Exclusive: Inside Hearts: Changes for St Mirren, key talks before Celtic, and an insight into Derek McInnes’ mind
Exclusive: Inside Hearts: Changes for St Mirren, key talks before Celtic, and an insight into Derek McInnes’ mind.
The unbeaten streak in the SPFL Premiership is on the line in Paisley. Following a dramatic few days in Scottish football, there is a sense of serenity at Hearts.
They went eight points clear at the top of the Premiership after defeating Celtic on Sunday, prompting Brendan Rodgers’ departure and Martin O’Neill’s return to Glasgow’s East End.
That comes a week after Danny Rohl took over Rangers, who are now in mid-table. The traditional Glasgow titans are in trouble, whereas Edinburgh is stable.
Derek McInnes is working hard at Riccarton as the squad prepare for their trip to St Mirren on Wednesday.
Their unblemished league record is on the line again following a stormy victory over the reigning champions at Tynecastle Park.
That emotional attachment may have left some participants feeling depleted, but leading the table makes it simpler to re-energise. If there is tension, nobody at Hearts feels it.
McInnes spoke with the Edinburgh News about his own emotions, how he handles other people’s excitement, and why he will replace a winning team in the next two games. “I feel fine.
“I feel good,” he stated. “You always expect to win, and I believed that if we performed to the best of our abilities, we would win on Sunday.
To be honest, I’m very calm about the fact that we won. I’m glad the players received the prize for their efforts, because we had to work for it.
We were the better team; our attacking threat was superior, we defended better than them, and we won three points.
“I’m glad we won a game that received a lot of attention, and I understand why. It was beneficial to our belief and confidence, in case we ever needed it. We began as a confident team and finished as such.
I believe this is significant. If Celtic wins on Sunday, they will receive praise, but there may be others who will say, ‘Ah well, when it came down to it, they just couldn’t quite do it.’ That makes sense, and I am aware that they exist.
I can tell when someone speaks. Celtic typically pose the most difficult test for any squad, and we were able to conquer it. “I felt we deserved it.”
McInnes delivered his identical message to the Hearts players during pre-match discussions, hoping to keep his squad calm in the heat of battle. “I told them, ‘I’m not asking you to run anymore, I’m not asking you to strive more, or to be more driven.
I simply want you to deal with the game. We are precisely where we want to be in the league, where we deserve to be, and it is simply a matter of doing more of the same.
We recognise that we may have to relinquish some possession at times, but as long as we have control over where that possession is, we will be alright. We’ll have our moments in the game to cause them trouble. “Aside from a 15 or 20-minute period in the first half, we handled with it.
Alex [Schwolow, custodian] made a couple of good saves, but that’s all he’s done. He has been surprisingly effective. There have been those games where he has had to create moments, but that is why he is there.
You want your custodian to make the saves you anticipate of them. We see him every day, so it’s no surprise that he made the saves. McInnes shifted his focus to St Mirren as soon as Sunday’s final whistle sounded.
Stephen Robinson’s squad eliminated Hearts from the Premier Sports Cup on penalties in August, becoming them the only team to overcome the Tynecastle club this season.
McInnes has used the same starting lineup for the last five games and has been rewarded with five wins and one goal conceded.
There may be changes in Paisley. If not, anticipate some at home against Dundee on Saturday. “We trained the boys who did not start against Celtic immediately after the game.
“They were working on a session on the pitch,” McInnes explained. “After the game, I’m thinking about Wednesday. This is the first time we have had three games in six days.
There is the importance of employing the squad. We’ve had a good run from week to week, with international breaks in between, and we’ve been able to stick with the same team. “I believe we will discover that over the next couple of games, it is not the proper way to do.
If we’re going to talk about the importance of the squad, and I see how guys are training, the next two games are an opportunity to capitalise on that. I need to maintain the freshness and energy. “When we play with energy, we can perform better.”
Tomas Magnusson, an Icelandic midfielder signed from Valur Reykjavik in August, is one player hoping to attract the attention of his management.
Another is Michael Steinwender. Blair Spittal, Alan Forrest, and Jamie McCart have also performed well in training.
Magnusson has created a good practice of making cameo replacement appearances that are well-timed to allow him to partake in the victorious celebrations at full-time since his solitary Hearts start in Wednesday’s cup defeat.
The most recent of these came against Celtic. He was quick and confident throughout a 10-minute appearance.
“Yeah, he was good,” McInnes acknowledged. “He’s itching and desperate to go. He did exceptionally well when he came on. It was also great to have Ageu at the park
. A lot of eyes will be on him. He was unlucky not to have scored. All of these minor things, drip-feeding minutes into these boys who have had limited game time, are critical.
But Magnusson was extremely good. We see him every day in training and are aware of his capabilities. The only thing he now lacks is some experience.”
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