Hearts in Spain: Why competition will be fierce in Robbie Neilson's squad during winter training camp

Michael Smith was the first Hearts player to stroll up to the Gate 29 waiting area at Edinburgh Airport and the rest soon followed.

Even catching the first glimpse of a group of footballers I aim to be seeing a lot over the next few days was an interesting experience. Who was making the trip out to Malaga for the winter training camp and who wasn’t?

Stephen Humphrys was there. That’s good. The forward has been an exciting addition since his move to Tynecastle on transfer deadline day but he’s been missing for a few games now due to a troublesome ankle knock. Stephen Kingsley was visible too. Another welcome sight after injuring his hamstring against RFS in the Europa Conference League victory at Tynecastle. And there was a strange comfort to seeing Peter Haring sitting up the back of the plane as we were all being loaded on, as if the midfielder could provide the same level of security to a Boeing 747 as he could to the Hearts rearguard in any given match.

The three Australians still competing at the World Cup were obviously missing, while Craig Gordon had been left back home to get more rest having played for Scotland while everyone else was on their holidays. But overall it was a group getting back to full strength after the injury woes of recent months.

Peter Haring in training. The Austrian has recovered from a concussion sustained in October. Picture: Contributed

"We've asked a lot of them,” said manager Robbie Neilson, who is now sporting a new buzzcut hairstyle. “Alex Cochrane has played almost every minute, Barrie McKay is the same, and it's difficult for players even though they've done so well for us. Kingsley was the same before his injury and that's one of the reasons why he did get injured because we pushed him so hard. Getting back to that depth of squad will make a big difference for us.

“Keeping so many players happy is part of football. If you win football matches then there's nothing to complain about. Players just have to compete on the training field and be ready. Then you pick the ones you think are going to win you the game.”

There is plenty of competition on the training field at the club’s resort in the Costa del Sol. This was a team that just about picked itself on a few occasions over the autumn months due to the number of players missing through injury. With the exception of Beni Baningime and Liam Boyce, who are both out long-term with knee injuries, and perhaps Gary Mackay-Steven, who contributes to rehab a broken foot, Hearts can expect to return to cinch Premiership action with near enough a full-strength unit.

As Neilson has stated, the squad was inflated earlier in the campaign to try and meet the demands of playing eight games in Europe. With that now in the rear-view mirror there are a number of selection headaches for the head coach.

The Hearts players in training at their resort in the Costa del Sol. Picture: Contributed

Defence is the biggest question. Alex Cochrane has been one of Hearts’ best players this season, having taken his play to a new level following the decision to sign the full-back permanently from Brighton in the summer. Performances at the World Cup would dictate that Kye Rowles has a regular place in the starting XI as he’s suddenly become the club’s most-prized asset. Craig Halkett is now back from injury and is, by far and away, the team’s best header of the ball. Then there’s Stephen Kingsley, the hero of last season. Three of these players are left-footed and they can’t all play in a back four.

Neilson did say in an interview with Hearts TV on day one of this training camp that Hearts were forced into changing formation due to the injury issues and they would now get back “to playing how we want to play”. That would suggest a return to the 3-4-3 which was utilised for the majority of last season. That would fit Halkett, Rowles, Kingsley and Cochrane all into the same side but wouldn’t necessarily knit together as seamlessly as one might assume. Part of Halkett’s excellence is he marries aerial dominance with comfort on the ball, a package you don't often get at this level of football. But you’d still want him in the centre, the ideal position to roam the penalty area like a tense guard dog, repelling any threat. And if Halkett is on the right, who goes into the centre? Rowles? Again, that doesn't feel like the best use of his talents.

There are also many interesting combinations in the centre of the park, especially in light of Robert Snodgrass finding a home there after the initial perception that he was recruited to play on the wing or as a No.10 following Boyce’s injury. Does Haring get much of a look in? Perhaps not, but Orestis ‘Kio’ Kiomourtzoglou has yet to look like an upgrade on the Austrian. If it’s a two-man midfield, would Cammy Devlin or Kio always have to play because you don’t get the same level of mobility and energy with the other combinations. And will Jorge Grant finally be able to get a run in the team without shooting himself in the foot with an untimely red card?

Even in attack there’s an interesting conundrum with Josh Ginnelly certainly in better form than McKay. The latter is undoubtedly the team’s most creative outlet but he’s struggled the last couple of months. Does the perpetual threat he carries make him undroppable? Is having Humphrys on one wing and Ginnelly on the other too direct? Or does Humphrys just play the back up role to Lawrence Shankland. Is he, perhaps, too good for that?

Stephen Kingsley has returned from a hamstring problem but finds some stiff competition for places in the Hearts defence. Picture: Contributed

There’s a lot of questions there. I don’t have the answers and it’s likely Neilson doesn’t have the majority of them either. They’ll be answered by the players on the training pitch between now and the home game with Kilmarnock later this month.

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