Kilmarnock 1 St. Johnstone 2

For the second match in a row, Kenny Shiels lined up his side with a three man defence flanked by two wing-backs.  James Fowler and Gary Fisher were deployed as holding midfielders with Dean Shiels and James Dayton just behind Paul Heffernan in attack.  Shiels made two changes to the defeat at Ibrox.  Liam Kelly was out and replaced by Alex Pursehouse, while Gary Harkins was dropped to the bench in favour of Dayton.

St. Johnstone kept their familiar 4-4-2 shape and also made two changes from their previous fixture.  David McCracken was missing so Callum Davidson came in at left back.  This meant that Alan Maybury was moved to right-back and Dave Mackay to the centre.  The other change saw David Robertson preferred to Chris Millar in midfield.

The first twenty minutes were largely uneventful as the two formations cancelled each other out.  A look at the formations from the image above shows that each side had a spare man at the back – Kilmarnock enjoyed a 3v2, St. Johnstone a 4v3 – and a band of four across the middle.  In a 3-5-2, the main advantage of playing three central defenders, assuming the opposition are playing 4-4-2, is to provide a man advantage in the centre of midfield.

Unfortunately for Kilmarnock, the advanced nature of Dayton and Shiels in the 3-4-3 meant that they lined up man-for-man in the centre of the pitch and enjoyed no such advantage.

St. Johnstone’s solid rearguard

St. Johnstone’s defending was another factor of Kilmarnock’s shortage of chances in the opening stages.  Heffernan has shown himself to be a real goal-threat this season but struggled to find much space in this match – apart from one occasion where he worked the space himself by a quick turn on the ball, taking two defenders out of the play.  The St. Johnstone back four defended very narrow, meaning that the two centre-backs were able to stay close together and deny Heffernan space.

Moreover, if Dayton or Shiels collected the ball in the final third, one of the St. Johnstone defenders would come to meet them, allowing the other three to hold the defensive line and not be overmanned.  As well as this, Liam Craig and David Robertson would track the forward runs of the Kilmarnock wing-backs.  It was a very assured defensive display from Derek McInnes’s men.

Both sides attempted to patiently build from the back where possible but it was St. Johnstone who were more comfortable in doing this.  On several occasions, the Kilmarnock defenders were put under pressure after a stray pass, but their manager insisted post-match that his side will persist with this strategy regardless.

Another notable feature of the match was the lack of pressing in midfield.  Both sides’ central midfielders stood off their direct opponents and it was this lack of pressing that led to the opening goal.

Jody Morris and Robertson were allowed to easily work the ball through midfield before Robertson turned and fed Francisco Sandaza.  Manuel Pascali dived in, missing the ball and allowing Sandaza a clear run at goal, and the Spaniard again showed his potency in front of goal, scoring his sixth goal of the season.

St. Johnstone’s strategy once taking the lead is usually to keep things tight but as the half wore on they began to commit more men forward than they had at 0-0.  One of these attacks led to a scrappy counter-attack which resulted in a Kilmarnock corner from which they equalised.

By this point the momentum had swung the way of the home side, but despite this, St. Johnstone were unlucky to see the ball ricochet off their own player and into the back of the net.  

Second half

The second half continued in a similar vein to how the first half had ended with Kilmarnock on the ascendency.  Heffernan continued to struggle to find space on the shoulder of the last defender and began to drop off the St. Johnstone back-line and link with the midfield.  Kilmarnock enjoyed a spell where they worked some intricate passing moves around the edge of the box, while Heffernan saw his deflected effort saved well by Peter Enckelman.

Derek McInnes responded by withdrawing Kevin Moon for Chris Millar, a like-for-like swap which improved his side’s ball-retention in the middle of the park.

St. Johnstone were ahead again when Cillian Sheridan rounded Cammy Bell in the Kilmarnock goal to net the winner.  In almost a carbon copy of their second at home to Hearts last week, a long punt from Enckelman was pounced upon by Sandaza after some defensive hesitancy, and he reacted quickly to send Sheridan through on goal.

It was another well created and taken goal from the St. Johnstone front two but a poor one to lose from a Kilmarnock perspective.  Mohamed Sissoko’s poor attempt at controlling the ball, as opposed to a safety-first approach, allowed the pace of Sheridan to once again exploit a high defensive line and it proved to be decisive.

Kenny Shiels introduced Danny Racchi, and latterly William Gros, to the play, moving into a 4-4-2/4-2-4 formation but, with St. Johnstone now sitting very deep – Sheridan and Sandaza were even coming into their own half to close down – they struggled to work the ball into an area where they could pass or cross the ball into the box, let alone create chances.

Conclusion

For the second match in-a-row, Kenny Shiels lined his side up in a 3-4-3 formation.  On both occasions they have been up against a 4-4-2 and on both occasions they have lost.  Their failing, seems not to be in their shape but the ease at which they concede possession.

Derek McInnes’s side are not overly-defensive or negative, they are just one of the better sides in the league at defending.  They held firm but for an own-goal conceded from a set-piece.  Their impressive defence was evident last season; they have now added clinicalness in front of goal to it.

Dundee United 4 Kilmarnock 2

Three crosses from the right from Craig Conway provided three headed goals for Dundee United before Conway added a fourth with a terrific solo goal.  Manuel Pascali and substitute David Silva pulled two goals back for Kilmarnock but the defeat leaves caretaker-manager Kenny Shiels still seeking his first win since the departure of Mixu Paatelainen.

Dundee United were without Mihael Kovacevic, Morgaro Gomis and Sean Dillion who were all sent off in the 4-0 defeat to Rangers.  Peter Houston also dropped Johnny Russell and brought in Conway, Keith Watson, Barry Douglas and Prince Bauben.  They started in their usual 4-5-1/4-3-3 with Conway and Danny Swanson either side of David Goodwillie in attack.

Kilmarnock replaced goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola with Cammy Bell, their only other change was to replace David Silva with Garry Hay.  Hay took up an unfamiliar left-midfield role designed to nullify the threat of Swanson.  The tactic worked as Swanson had one of his quieter games since returning from injury.  Alexei Eremenko began as a second striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation but seemed to drop deeper as the match wore on.

Dundee United win midfield battle

The match was played at a slower pace than most SPL matches with both sides intent on patiently building attacks.  Dundee United’s usual strategy is to move the ball quickly to Swanson and Conway and get them to run at the full-backs, however, the deep-lying nature of the Kilmarnock midfield and the fact that Hay and Liam Kelly were deployed to help their respective full-backs double up on the Dundee United wingers meant that they were unable to carry this out effectively.

Dundee United’s midfield three in recent months, no matter who has been chosen to play there, is fluid in nature and today was no different.  They got the better of Craig Bryson and James Fowler in the early stages of the match and their dominance forced Eremenko to drop deeper as the game progressed.  The most noteworthy midfield player in the opening forty-five minutes was David Robertson.  He made several great runs into the box and caused the shaky Kilmarnock defence no end of problems.

Three Conway crosses put United 3-0 ahead

Despite Dundee United’s dominance from open play, three of their four goals were headers and resulted from corner kicks.  The first was headed into the net by Scott Severin directly from Conway’s corner and the second was taken short, returned to Conway and headed in from Goodwillie via Conway’s cross, giving Dundee United a 2-0 lead going into half time.  The third, minutes after the break, saw Kilmarnock clear yet another Conway corner before Eremenko was crowded out by a few Dundee United players, leading to another Conway cross that was again headed into the net by Goodwillie for his second of the match.

The third goal was indicative of Kilmarnock’s performance.  They were caught out by Dundee United’s constant harassing on too many occasions when trying to build from the back.  It is a strategy that has served them well this season, however, their execution of it has not been the same since Paatelainen left to manage the Finnish national team.

Conway capped a man of the match performance with a tremendous solo goal within two minutes of the third.  He worked space for himself with a u-turn of a run and fired emphatically past Bell from distance.  Kilmarnock had made a double change at half time, replacing Bryson and the injured Ryan O’Leary with David Silva and James Dayton, but they barely had a chance to settle into the match before their side found themselves 4-0 down.

Too little, too late from Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock had also reshuffled their side at half time, moving Tim Clancy to central defence, Hay to his usual left-back role, Kelly into central midfield, meaning Silva and Dayton took up their positions on either wing.  As the second half wore on, Dundee United became increasingly defensive but always looked like they could sneak another goal on the counter.  Silva added more impetus to the Kilmarnock attack and reduced the deficit with a terrific strike from around twenty-five yards.

The away side had stuck to their patient approach throughout and were eventually rewarded although by now Dundee United were happy to defend their lead and see the match out.  Manuel Pascali headed in a second for Kilmarnock from a Jamie Hamill corner in the dying minutes but it was too little too late from the Ayrshire side.

Conclusion

Kilmarnock were extremely poor for an hour and seem devoid of confidence since their change of manager.  There was a ten minute spell in the first half when Goodwillie was off the pitch receiving treatment in which Kilmarnock still found themselves hemmed in by Dundee United.  It wasn’t until the final twenty minutes that Kilmarnock began to cause their opponents any real problems but by that time the deficit was insurmountable.

Usually, Swanson is the main driving force from the Dundee United midfield five but his threat was negated by the deployment of Hay on the left of midfield for Kilmarnock.  Instead it was fellow winger Conway who provided three assists and a goal which provided the victory.  A mention should also go to David Robertson who got forward at every opportunity to trouble the Kilmarnock defence.

Hearts 0 Kilmarnock 2

An open ninety minutes at Tynecastle yesterday which saw Kilmarnock rewarded for their patient approach.  Hearts dominated possession for large spells but failed to capitalise.

Jim Jefferies lined-up his Hearts side 4-2-3-1 as usual and made three changes from the 0-0 draw with Aberdeen last week, bringing in Calum Elliot, Suso Santana and Ismael Bouzid for Stephen Elliot, Andy Driver and the injured Andy Webster.   Kilmarnock also made three changes from their previous match, a 2-0 win over St Mirren.  Garry Hay, Mehdi Taouil and Mohammed Sissoko all missed out and were replaced by Tim Clancy, David Silva and Liam Kelly in a 4-1-4-1 formation.

 

Quick, direct start from Hearts

Of the two sides, it was Hearts who made the better start.  Their strategy was to move the ball quickly and directly towards David Templeton and Suso on either wing and put dangerous balls into the box.  Suso was offered terrific support from Craig Thomson – who switched positions with Eggert Jonsson from last week– and he created the better of the Hearts chances through his crosses, including a Templeton header which smashed the underside of the bar.

Calum Elliot also made an impressive start to the match, he linked-up well and brought the Hearts midfield runners into play.  Despite his bright start, Elliot drifted out of the match as the game wore on and was eventually replaced mid-way through the second half.

Man-marking Rudi Skacel out of the game has been a common tactic employed against Hearts in recent weeks and today was no different.  James Fowler sat deep behind the other Kilmarnock midfielders and followed Skacel’s movement for the duration of the match.  As a consequence, Skacel failed to make an impact on the game.

Kilmarnock’s patience pays off

Mixu Paatelainen’s strategy was to get plenty men behind the ball, without sitting too deep, press relatively high up the pitch and break quickly when the ball was won.  A few good counterattacking situations broke down due to some sloppy passing but Kilmarnock were content to remain patient and disciplined, knowing that they would enjoy spells of possession at some time in the match. 

When Kilmarnock did come more into the game, they dominated the midfield area with a short passing game.  William Gros was willing to drop deep and get involved but it was Eremenko who was beginning to pull the strings.  Ryan Stevenson and Adrian Mrowiec took turns to pick up the Ukrainian but with his movement, he was able to evade their attention and receive the ball in space.

Kilmarnock’s two goals from left-hand side

Kilmarnock began the second half in much the same way they ended the first but this time they managed to create and finish chances.  The first came on fifty minutes when David Silva collected the ball just inside the Hearts half, intercepting a poor pass from Craig Thomson.  He made a diagonal run, evading the challenge of the full-back who was attempting to atone for his error.  A quick change of pace took him past Marius Zaliukas and the Portuguese winger slotted the ball coolly into the bottom corner.

It was a well taken goal by Silva, however, Hearts will be disappointed by how easily they surrendered possession and by the lack of any real challenge following that.

Within six minutes it was 2-0 courtesy of an Eremenko strike.  After collecting a throw-in, Eremenko was afforded the space to turn and link up with Silva and Gros down the left.  None of the Hearts players followed Eremenko when he collected the throw, nor did they when he ran into the box and collected the return from his one-two with Gros.  Eremenko then found himself with a clear sight of goal only eight yards out and fired an unstoppable strike past the rooted Marian Kello.

Hearts change in shape does nothing to change outcome

With a comfortable 2-0 lead, Kilmarnock’s defensive line was now deeper than it had been in the whole match, with the midfield not much further forward.  Jim Jefferies decided a change was in order and withdrew Stevenson for Stephen Elliot, moving to a 4-1-3-2.

A look at the Hearts substitutes on Saturday would show that they currently have several players missing and Jefferies is not blessed with game-changing options.  Gary Glen was also introduced but the changes did little to affect the match and even though Hearts enjoyed most of the possession in the closing stages, they failed to regularly get the ball into dangerous areas and break down a packed Kilmarnock defence. 

A red card for Eremenko also did little to affect the outcome and Hearts were reduced to crossing from deep positions and long-range strikes that were either off target or else easily dealt with by Anssi Jaakkola.

Conclusion

Mixu Pataalainen’s cautious and patient approach, plus the assured manner in which they took their chances, was the main factor in Kilmarnock leaving Tynecastle with all three points.  Eremenko, Silva and Gros were instrumental in the Kilmarnock victory but overall it was a very disciplined team performance.

Hearts played reasonably well despite the scoreline and on another day would have taken their chances and won the match.  The most worrying thing for Jim Jefferies is the amount of key players missing at the moment.  He desperately lacks the targetman that his style of 4-2-3-1 requires and has seen Stephen Elliott, David Obua and now Calum Elliot struggle to fill the position vacated by Kyle.

Motherwell 0 Kilmarnock 1

The teams served up a decent ninety minutes with no of lack chances and some pretty entertaining football despite the poor pitch, swirling wind and periodical downpours. Stuart McCall gave a first start to Steve Jones on the left side of midfield meaning that Jamie Murphy returned to a more advanced position just off Esteban Casagolda, who was also handed his first opportunity to impress from the start. Tom Hateley and John Sutton missed out after the defeat to Rangers in the League Cup semi-final.

Kilmarnock lost Conor Sammon to Wigan on transfer deadline day but had the talismanic Alexi Eremenko back from suspension. Jamie Hamill missed out due to his red card in the draw against Hamilton at the weekend, so AC Milan youth academy product Willy Aubameyang made his full debut in a lope-sided 4-2-3-1 formation with Rui Miguel the lone-striker. Eremenko was deployed as a trequartista, Aubameyang to the right and Mehdi Taouil to the left, although he often drifted inside and over towards the right touchline.
Motherwell’s shape began as 4-4-2 but with wingers Jones and Chris Humphrey being pushed on and Murphy dropping deep (and often wide) it regularly looked like a 4-2-3-1. Keith Lasley and Steve Jennings sat as deep-lying midfielders allowing the Motherwell wingers to play high up the pitch and take on the Kilmarnock full-backs.

On paper, Kilmarnock should have dominated their 3v2 battle in the central midfield area, however, it was Lasley who dictated play in the first half, linking up well with others around him and allowing Motherwell to effectively carry out their strategy of getting the ball out to their wingers and running at the Kilmarnock full-backs. Murphy also linked play well as Motherwell looked to take the game to their opponents.
Kilmarnock were happy to sit back knowing they had the technical ability to cut Motherwell open on the counter attack. Eremenko displayed just how deadly his final ball can be when he directed a tremendous pass through the centre of the Motherwell defence that found Tim Clancy. His effort was saved and the rebound tapped in by Rui Miguel, however, the flag had already been raised for offside.

The home side also had their chances in the opening stages. A tame effort from Humphrey, who was looking lively, was saved easily by Cammy Bell in the Kilmarnock goal and Casagolda swung at thin air after he found himself in space at the edge of the box following a well-worked move.

After twenty minutes Paatelainen changed his shape to a 4-3-2-1, also known as the Christmas tree, a formation used to great effect by Delio Rossi at Palermo this season. Aubameyang was moved deeper to sit alongside Manuel Pascali and Liam Kelly in a midfield three with Eremenko and Taouil as playmakers – both were given licence to roam across both sides of the pitch. This allowed Kilmarnock to double up on the Motherwell wingers, who had looked dangerous and were occasionally supported by Steven Hammell and Steve Saunders from full-back.

Motherwell dominated possession and created the better chances in the first half, the closest of which came direct from a Humphrey corner. His in-swinger was doubtlessly aided by the forceful wind and Bell was required to stay alert to palm the ball to safety.

A last ditch tackle from Manuel Pascali ensured the match remained goalless at half time. Jones drove past three men, reached the touchline and cut the ball back towards Casagolda, who was beaten to the ball by Pascali. The versatile Italian had moved into central defence after Frazer Wright had been stretchered off with concussion following an unintentional collision with Saunders.

Both teams began the second half with similar shapes and strategies that they ended the first with, yet Motherwell began to dominate more and more. Murphy was now drifting towards the left wing and found himself through on the keeper, albeit from a tight angle, after Momo Sissoko had missed the ball. Bell was quick off his line to block the shot although the better option was to cut the ball back.

Murphy had earlier forced a save from the impressive Bell, who has yet again been called into the Scotland squad, as did a combination of Saunders and Clancy at the near post following a Motherwell corner. A further superb one-on-one save from Jennings kept Kilmarnock level.

Humphrey and Saunders on another occasion were also close to giving the home side the lead in a half they increasingly dominated. Kilmarnock’s defensive and midfield lines were becoming progressively deeper, a factor evidenced in Rui Miguel’s rare touch just outside the Motherwell penalty area which saw him closed down by five opposition players.

Nevertheless, Paatelainen’s strategy from the off was to soak up pressure and hit his opponents on the counter, a tactic which eventually paid off. Motherwell were now more or less 4-2-4 in possession with Hammell and Saunders pushing on more often than they had in the first forty-five.

Kilmarnock pieced together a swift counter attacking move after Hammell had lost possession deep inside the Kilmarnock half. Taouil and Rui Miguel linked up well to send Clancy down the right and his cross was nodded into an open goal by David Silva, who had replaced Aubameyang less than ten minutes previous.

It was a well-worked move by Kilmarnock but Stuart McCall will be seething at the series of errors from his own side in the lead up to the winner. Craigen had been pulled ridiculously out of position by Rui Miguel and even though Hammell managed to recover his position, he failed to get close to Clancy and attempt to block the cross. Goalkeeper Darren Randolph’s positioning was also at fault as he allowed the ball to simply drift over his outstretched arm.

This is not to mention the fact that Silva was completely unmarked and that Kelly would have finished the chance had he not. The game ended with Motherwell exerting even more pressure but they failed to trouble Bell.

With a few minutes remaining, Garry Hay was red carded for a cynical trip on Humphrey in a wide position, a terrible decision that Kilmarnock will surely appeal.

Overall, both teams knocked the ball around well on a poor pitch and in terrible conditions. Motherwell will feel aggrieved that they took nothing from a game in which they dominated, both in terms of possession and chances. Kilmarnock have Cammy Bell to thank for their clean sheet, allowing them to nick the win towards the end, but ultimately it was Mixu’s tactics that reaped the rewards. This strategy, in order to be effective, requires the side to ride their luck at times and a combination of poor finishing and an outstanding goalkeeping performance gave them the platform to head back to Ayrshire with all three points.

Star man: Cammy Bell