Hibs welcome Celtic to Easter Road this afternoon following Nick Montgomery’s first defeat as boss last week at Ibrox.
The trip to Glasgow last weekend was plagued with poor individual performances and errors throughout the team which you cannot afford when playing either side of the Old Firm and Montgomery will be looking for a reaction from his players this afternoon when Brendan Rodgers brings his side to the capital.
System
Supporters have been calling for the football at the club to carry more of an identity, and it’s clear the new manager has a very strong belief in his 4-4-2 system and style of play.
Calls to abandon this after our first defeat of his tenure do little to embed a personality in the club and would be a step back to Lee Johnson’s tinkering time in charge where we rarely saw the same system or starting XI from one week to the next.
We have taken heavy defeats with far more defensive set ups at Ibrox in recent seasons and with so many players underperforming at the same time, it’s a huge ask to get anything in Glasgow regardless of the formation.
In his first experience against Rangers, Montgomery is sure to have learned a huge amount about his system and players ahead of this afternoon’s game against Celtic.
Personnel
It’s likely we’ll see Hibs set up in a 4-4-2 again this afternoon when Celtic come calling – for Montgomery to make systematic changes to the side would be a big surprise after all he’s said publicly about his belief in his way of playing.
While we’ll probably set up in the same way as we did in last week’s 4-0 humbling at Ibrox, there are personnel changes the manager can make which would influence the side hugely whilst sticking to his favoured formation.
With Youan, Boyle, Vente and Le Fondre in the side we are effectively setting up with four forwards. Youan and Boyle offer little defensively and provide minimal cover for their full-backs when we are out of possession.
In Miller and Obita, we have two full-backs who are keen to play high up the pitch – this combined with a lack of support from our wide players means we leave ourselves very vulnerable on the counter attack if we lose possession with men committed forward.
This very point was discussed by the guys on Down the Slope earlier this week, and there are lots of straight forward swaps Montgomery can make to his starting XI this afternoon to leave us less exposed without changing the system.
Defensive Problems
A quick look at the Premiership table tells you Hibernian have conceded more goals than anyone else in the league so far this season. It’s an unacceptable record and one which needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.
Amazingly while we are the leakiest defence in the league, we have also kept three clean sheets in nine league games – when we concede goals, we tend to concede plenty of them.
Jojo Wollacott has returned to the fold after a spell on the sidelines with injury and Montgomery’s decision on who starts in goals this afternoon will likely be one of the most eagerly anticipated elements of the starting XI when it’s released at 13:45 today.
While fingers have been pointed at David Marshall – and in many cases rightfully so – the defensive frailties lie deeper than just changing the goalkeeper. The back four needs to up its game and those in front of the defence also have huge roles to play in supporting the defensive line.
Consistency is important in team selections, and especially in defence, in order to allow players to develop together. Last season’s habit of chopping and changing various individuals and systems used at the back did not bear any fruit for Lee Johnson so it’ll be interesting to see how patient Nick Montgomery remains with Miller, Obita, Hanlon and Fish in the coming weeks.
Points Needed
While it’s early in the season and even earlier in Montgomery’s tenure as manager, there’s no doubt that improvement is needed in order to start picking up three points more regularly.
With only one win in our last five league games, we find ourselves in the wrong half of the table heading into next week’s League Cup semi-final visit to Hampden.
Teams are dropping points throughout the league, with the exception of St Mirren who have started the season incredibly strongly, and therefore despite some disappointing results so far this year there is plenty of opportunity for Hibs to start moving up the league table in a bid to secure European football in May.
Cause for Optimism
There is no denying that facing a Celtic side who appear to be starting to click under Brendan Rodgers this afternoon is a tough task, but our recent home record against the Hoops has been largely positive.
Last time out we came away 4-2 winners thanks to goals from Elie Youan (x2), Kevin Nisbet and an Alexandro Bernabei own goal, and over the past five years we’ve picked up three wins and five draws in 11 meetings at Easter Road.
Some positive news this week saw Chris Cadden get his boots back on and return to training outside with the physio, while Harry McKirdy has been out on the grass as part of his recovery from a heart issue – we look forward to seeing them both back in the squad when they’re fit and well.
It’s an important week for the club with a Halloween meeting with Ross County and next weekend’s League Cup semi final tie with Aberdeen at Hampden to look forward to.
Fingers crossed we can kickstart a big few days with a positive result this afternoon.
The East Stand 