Derek McInnes, the manager of Hearts, faces a challenging moment following his team’s recent 3-2 defeat to Hibernian in the 150th anniversary of the Edinburgh derby. This loss has cut their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to just three points, with Celtic’s victory over Livingston further complicating the title race. Even in light of this disappointment, McInnes is looking forward to what’s in store for his team and their ability to retake form in their league race.
Prior to their defeat, Hearts’ record at the top of the table was near flawless. They proved their power and perseverance at every turn this season. This recent defeat has raised concerns about their performance, particularly regarding their execution of basic skills on the pitch. McInnes minced no words in his aggravation. The team could not uphold their typical level of play in one of the key matches of the year.
A Deflating Derby
Hearts’ loss to Hibernian was the turning point in their season. The derby is famous for its historic ugly and intense rivalry. Sadly, things have hardly turned out so well for McInnes and his team. This is a shocking development considering how the team has been commended for their clinical attack and defensive organization in past matches. This loss was a jarring departure from those performances.
McInnes has been adamant that his side deserved to be at the summit, having done “the simple things” consistently on match days. “It is important in a hot day derby game, that you keep your cool,” he said.
“It’s a lot of the basic stuff that let Hearts down today. Derek [McInnes] will be raging with that.” – Kris Boyd
Stuart’s conviction in his methods was further emphasized by the manager maintaining his positive outlook on their season performance, even after such a humiliating defeat. Hearts have a phenomenal record with only two losses in 19 matches. McInnes is adamant that this success proves the depth of quality within his squad.
Upcoming Fixtures
Looking ahead, Hearts face a vital run of fixtures that may well shape their fortunes in the division. Next week though, they’ll fight another round, taking on the Livingston Lions at home on January 3. Afterwards, they will set off on January 11 to face an away match against Dundee. The boys play their next home match against St Mirren on 14 January. They’ll meet Celtic in a highly-anticipated match on January 25 and close the month with a road contest at Dundee United on January 31.
Beyond the schedule, McInnes knows how crucial these next few games will be. Even as he looks to rebuild, he’ll want to win some victories to restore faith in the locker room after a tough World Cup.
“We’ve got a run of fixtures starting from next week. Hopefully, we can just get a few wins and just build that momentum again and confidence as we spoke about,” McInnes noted.
Staying Focused on the Title Race
Despite the setback against Hibernian, both McInnes and players like Kris Boyd are confident that Hearts will not crumble under pressure. Boyd does not deny that this inexperienced team has shown amazing resilience this season. He has great faith that they are more than capable of recapturing their aforementioned winning ways.
We’re not going to just lose all wherewithal all of a sudden. We’ve lost a game and we know the reasons why we’ve lost the game, McInnes stated.
Hearts have both on-paper and in-practice, pretty easily blasted their way into the title race by doing what they do best. Their capacity to execute the fundamentals has been the bedrock of their success so far this season. As they get ready for their upcoming matches, McInnes wants to ensure these basics are reinforced most in practices.
“We get to the top of the league not by being Barcelona, not by being something we don’t think we are, it’s by doing basics well in games,” McInnes explained.
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