New signings, Hearts tactics, the stutter at St Mirren and what comes next.
The Edinburgh club found it difficult to accept their Premier Sports Cup exit in Paisley. Call it a reality check, a narrow defeat, or simply a bad day at work.
Regardless of your viewpoint, Hearts’ Premier Sports Cup exit at St Mirren on Saturday was a stutter in a string of victories under Derek McInnes’ leadership. Six wins out of six preceded the trip to Paisley, but losing on penalties following a 1-1 draw hit hard.
Tynecastle’s management wanted to end the club’s long wait to win the League Cup.
Instead, the 63-year delay will be extended to 64 years by the next season’s tournament. There are several reasons for this year’s elimination from the last-16 stage, not to mention widespread frustration with how the 120 minutes played out.
Several issues arose during the first half of the regulation 90 minutes, with Hearts fielding a 3-4-3 formation after starting both Premiership games against Aberdeen and Dundee United in a 3-5-2 system.
New signings Pierre Landry Kabore and Tomas Magnusson made their debuts in maroon, while Alexandros Kyziridis made just his second appearance.
All three newcomers struggled for various reasons and were replaced at halftime as McInnes made three substitutions. Kabore was on the right of the visitors’ front three, with Kyziridis on the left and Lawrence Shankland as the central striker.
Magnusson partnered Cammy Devlin in midfield. As the game progressed, it became clear that St Mirren’s aggressiveness, physicality, and high press were unsettling their opponents. Energy, desire, and sheer strength are essential against any Stephen Robinson team, and Hearts appeared to be lagging behind.
The Saints lined up in their familiar 3-5-2 formation and took control of the central area, where the imposing trio of Killian Phillips, Keanu Baccus, and captain Mark O’Hara had a physical and numerical advantage over Devlin and Magnusson.
Hearts midfielder Oisin McEntee, who stands 6ft 3in tall, would have helped combat that issue, but he was moved to right wing-back for this game.
The Irishman was asked to play in midfield when Hearts had possession, but when they didn’t, he was out wide, and St Mirren dominated the middle of the pitch.
McEntee is clearly more effective in central midfield, as evidenced by Hearts’ opening Premiership wins over Aberdeen and Dundee United.
He was badly missed in there at the weekend with Magnusson caught on the ball several times and appearing to lack sharpness in a frenetic Scottish Cup tie. The Icelander was cautioned after five minutes and struggled thereafter.
Kabore lacked nothing in appetite as he put himself about up and down the right side. Blootering the St Mirren goalkeeper Shamal George in a 17th-minute aerial challenge illustrated his determination to make an impact. He was booked in first-half stoppage-time and replaced in the dressing-room minutes later.
Kyziridis also struggled to get into the game having been given little space to breathe by a combination of Jayden Richardson and Marcus Fraser on the right side of St Mirren’s defence.
McInnes identified the need for change, but Alex Gogic’s volley from a free-kick routine caught Hearts off guard, giving the hosts a 1-0 half-time lead. Levelling the score was a challenge against Robinson’s well-drilled backline, and the Tynecastle team worked hard to break through.
They switched to 4-4-2 after winger Alan Forrest replaced centre-back Craig Halkett on 74 minutes and scored four minutes later. McEntee, now playing as an orthodox right-back, met Harry Milne’s corner with a powerful header from the back post.
Hearts looked more at ease in that 4-4-2 formation for the third time in a row, and they scored while doing so.
Many of their seven competitive matches this season featured a three-man defence before switching to a back four in the second half. They won the first six, but this time St Mirren stood firm.
Hearts pushed forward for the rest of the game and into extra time, but Robinson’s team held on and eventually won 5-4 on penalties.
SPFL Premiership fixtures resume as Motherwell visit Edinburgh
So, what happens next when Motherwell travels to Tynecastle on league business this Saturday? McEntee’s return to midfield appears likely, and there is a case for starting in a 4-4-2 formation to allow for more attacking threat.
McInnes prefers 4-4-2 but is understandably concerned about his team being outnumbered in central midfield when opponents deploy three players there.
The head coach of Hearts also prefers two strikers up front. He certainly had no joy with three in Paisley, so a 4-3-3 experiment appears unlikely.
Recent signings such as Kabore and Magnusson will require more time to adjust to Scottish football. Kabore, the Burkina Faso international, may be a better fit as a central striker than a winger.
That may become clearer over time. Hearts remain a work in progress three months after appointing McInnes from Kilmarnock.
They weren’t supposed to be the finished article; the transfer window is still open, and nine new signings are in various stages of fitness and familiarity with Scottish football.
Hearts’ penalty shootout loss to St Mirren is extremely disappointing, but it is not a complete disaster for the team’s future direction. If Saturday’s game had been a league game, a 1-1 draw at the end of 90 minutes would not have been regarded as an entirely unacceptable result for a team still coming together following nine new signings.
There are still some tweaks and adjustments to be made, but McInnes’ team will undoubtedly be stronger when the Scottish Cup campaign kicks off in mid-January.
Between now and then, league performance will be closely monitored in the absence of any European or cup adventures.
In the coming weeks and months, people’s hearts and minds will be focused solely on one issue. If Saturday was a jolt, there is still plenty of time to put it to good use and build on recent progress.
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