Neil Critchley’s team may be mired at the foot of the Premiership in a battle but the Hearts manager has dismissed any suggestion that the club is edging closer to catastrophe with every game that ticks by.
Adamant that there is still plenty of time to rectify matters, he insists that morale is high and, with performances on the up, he believes the team are on the same trajectory. We’re not even halfway through the season, so while others might use the words, it’s a crisis, I’m just focusing on the next game,” he explained.
“Since we joined the club, in the past two months we’ve seen improvement in terms of our performances and now we’ve got a period of games coming up that we need to start putting some Ws on the board. It’s an important period, both domestically and in Europe. We have a chance to build and things could look significantly different in a few weeks’ time.”
After a tough run of fixtures, picking up just one point from nine against the league’s top three sides, Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers, they now have the opportunity to start pegging back the teams currently standing between them and a spot in the top six, starting with Dundee, at Tynecastle this afternoon.
While the fans in the stands are all too aware of Hearts’ precarious league position, Critchley says there are better things to focus on, as he attempts to steer his men through a congested December. Honestly I don’t look at the table because I can’t affect the table. I can affect how the players train, how we prepare, and work on improving the individuals, improving the team and if we do that then the results will take care of itself and ultimately then the league will take care of itself.”
Satisfied with the contribution from his midfield, he knows where the problems lie. While captain Lawrence Shankland’s goal drought has highlighted the issue at one end of the pitch, the fact the defence has managed just three clean sheets this term has added to the headaches.
“We’ve shown signs of improvement and we’ve created chances but it’s up to us to take those chances,” said Critchley “We just need to do better at both ends of the pitch.
“No one associated with this football club wants to be where we are in the league, obviously. However, I believe that if we keep performing how we have then that will change.”
They will be without experienced left-back Stephen Kingsley, who requires surgery on a hamstring injury, and could miss the rest of the season but fellow defender Frankie Kent is back in contention after he was forced off injured last weekend and there could be a further boost.
Yutaro Oda has recovered from the illness that kept him out of the Dons head to head and he bolsters the attacking options. Pleased with the overall performance in that match, Critchley claims his men should have walked with more than one point but hopes the display will provide them with momentum.
“Our form has been good. We’ve played well in the games and we’ve actually drawn confidence and been buoyed by how we’ve played. We’re just missing the last little bit, that’s it.
“We should have beat Aberdeen last weekend, we were the better team. That’s against a team that’s flying high and won game after game in this league. So, there’s been no dip in morale at all. In fact I think it’s been the opposite. I think we’ve drawn belief in what we’ve been doing. What we’ve got to do now is turn that into results because that’s the business, that’s what we’re in.”