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