Neil Critchley to change Hearts' approach for Omonoia Nicosia as he reveals his behind-the-scenes oracle

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Whilst preparing for his first venture into European competition, recently-appointed Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has revealed who is keeping him right at the club. His team will adopt a slightly different approach against the Cypriot side Omonoia Nicosia on Thursday night following Saturday’s impressive 4-0 win against St Mirren. Critchley accepted the chance to manage at Tynecastle Park for opportunities like this one in the UEFA Conference League.

He is already leaning on those with in-depth knowledge of the club. Kitman Gordon Paterson has been part of Heart of Midlothian since 1992 having previously worked in the club shop and as the old club mascot, Hearty Harry. His insight has been valuable since Critchley’s arrival eight days ago.

“I actually drove from the training ground down here with the kitman because he was kind enough to give me a lift,” explained Critchley, speaking ahead of Omonoia’s arrival at Tynecastle. “He gives me a guided tour of the football club and the history of the football club. Brilliant company. And when you pull up at the ground, you do have those moments when you think: 'Wow, this ain't bad.’ So I'm looking forward to this week.

“He [Paterson] tells me everything. He's the man I turn to. He's the encyclopaedic knowledge of Hearts.” Discussions surrounding Sunday’s Edinburgh derby with Hibs at Easter Road have already surfaced. Paterson imparted further wisdom on that fixture. “Some words I can't use,” smiled Critchley. “But from the first day he makes me well aware of the importance of that game, although it’s Thursday night first.”

St Mirren’s in-game principles are drastically different to those of Omonoia. Critchley explained that he will alter some of Hearts’ approach to cope against the Cypriots, whose gameplan is based around monopolising possession of the ball. “Yes, our general principles don't change but the team that we're going to face on Thursday is a very different team to St Mirren. Not good or bad, not right or wrong, just different,” said the head coach.

“Everyone has a different system, different way of playing, and Omonoia are different so that means we have to adapt in our thinking of how we play the game in possession and how we're going to defend. That's what we spent our last two days doing. But again, I go back to our principles, which is we want to be a possession-based team and we want to be a team that, without the ball, is hard to play against, on the front foot and pressing teams.

“Omonoia like to have the ball, they like to dominate the games with possession. They have different ways of building up and playing the game. They have some really exciting attacking players, wide players, No.9s and No.10s. I wouldn't expect them to come here and park the bus and have everyone behind the ball. Their natural way is to have the ball. So we know we'll have to be good without the ball but I want us to be a team that tries to dominate possession, no matter who we're playing against. I want us to try and make sure if we have the ball then maybe we can force them into doing things that they don't want to do.”

Hearts have no fresh injury concerns, with Critchley coy on whether anyone would be left out of Thursday’s team to remain fresh for the derby. “I don't call it resting. I just call it managing the squad,” he said. “We've got Saturday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday. It's five games in 15 days. To play the way that we want to play - energy, intensity - then you have to manage the squad.

“I also need to see some of the players play but you have to get the balance right. Too many changes would be possibly slightly foolish. To keep the freshness in the group and to play the way we want to play and also give the players an opportunity to impress, then that's something I have to consider in this period.”

Asked which Nicosia players stood out when he watched them, Critchley replied: “Both wide players. If they make substitutions, they're very attack-minded. The No.10 and the No.9 [stand out]. I know [Stevan] Jovetic can't play in the game. But again, I know [Filip] Helander played in the last game. I know the right-back [Alpha Diounkou] from Manchester City when he was younger. The right-sided defender [Senou Coulibaly] is very athletic. They've got some very good players. We're at the back of a 4-0 win and we're at home. We've won already in this competition [against Dinamo Minsk], so let's go again.”

Jovetic, the legendary Montenegro international forward, did not join Omonoia until 30 September and therefore is not registered in their squad for this phase of the Conference League. His absence is unquestionably a boost for Hearts. Critchley’s first game in charge at the weekend coincided with the Edinburgh club’s first league win of the campaign. Their only other victory previously had been the 2-1 defeat of Dinamo in Azerbaijan at the start of the month.

Along with assistants Mike Garrity and Liam Fox, Critchley does not feel to the need to bring his Hearts squad back down from their weekend high. “No, I wouldn't say bring them back down to earth. We don't get too carried away when we win and try not to get too down when we lose,” he said. “It was a nice feeling, obviously, for the players.

“The first home victory was really important, keeping a clean sheet, scoring a few goals. That was a brilliant day for the supporters but we were in Sunday, got absolutely soaked Sunday morning at training, and we've had a couple of days preparing for a really exciting game to look forward to. It's back to work. Even from Saturday, there are still aspects of our game that we can improve on massively.”

Omonoia lost 1-0 at home to Enosis on Saturday, after which head coach Valdas Dambrauskas issued an apology. Critchley remains wary of Thursday’s opponents. “This is a real test,” he insisted. “You watch the game that they played at the weekend and nine times out of 10 they win that game. They were the dominant team. They should have won the game. We're not fooled by that defeat. They're a strong team, very successful in their league. We know the task we've got in front of us but we're off the back of a good win, plus a good win away in Europe as well. And we're at home so we have to use that to our advantage.

I just know from watching them that they've got some good players. I know they've got some really exciting attacking players. They like to dominate the ball. If you look at some of the background of some of the players, where they've been and what they've done and what they've achieved, then we give full respect to who they are. But we always concentrate on us, particularly me coming in at this moment in time. How do we improve? How do we get better? We will respect the opponent but come Thursday night it'll be down to work and it's about us, how we play.”

Victory on Thursday night would give Hearts six points in the new-look league phase of the Conference League. That total could be enough to secure a play-off place for the last-16, although this inaugural year of the changed format makes it difficult to know exactly what points threshold will be required. “Good question. I don't know. We've been trying to work it out ourselves and had a conversation about it the other day,” admitted Critchley, who will draw on some of his experiences coaching Liverpool youngsters in the UEFA Youth League.

“You can only take one game at a time. We've got three points on the board and we've got two home games to come. If we can pick up more points then we're in a strong position and that's our aim - to try and go as far as we can in this competition. I've had experience of that before but that was at youth level. I've been very fortunate to travel all over the world playing in competitions.

“The UEFA Youth League was obviously under-19 level but still it's all relative. I still have experience of playing against teams from all over the world and how they play the game differently, how rules are interpreted differently, even just the way people behave and react to certain things. So it's not new to me. But managing against a team like Omonoia is one of the definite reasons why I came to this football club, without a shadow of a doubt.

“I said yesterday that we've only lost one in four now and that goal against Ross County, Shanks' [Lawrence Shankland] goal right in injury-time, was a huge goal psychologically for the group. I think there's credit to Liam [Fox] and his staff. I felt it when I first came to the club. I think that's given the group a boost in morale, a lift, and we want that to continue. We had another one here Saturday and Thursday night, under the lights here with our supporters behind us, we aim to take another step forward.”

An added bonus of beating Omonoia would be another £335,000 in UEFA prize money for winning a league-phase tie. “If you're successful, then you get the rewards off the back of that, but that only comes through hard work and preparing properly and playing well,” stated Critchley. “If then the club benefits off the back of that, then fantastic. In terms of prestige as well? Yeah, of course.

“We want to be a club that's in Europe and competing against the best. You see how the ground is being prepared, and there's something different about being in Europe, it feels different, and there's a special feeling about it. I'm sure the supporters are excited by it. Other than the last game, travelling away in numbers, there's no better feeling than travelling away and supporting your team in Europe and having a good time. We aim to give more days and nights to our supporters in the future.

“The players are really receptive to the work that we've been doing with them, very open-minded. I've been really encouraged by their character and the personality we've got in the group. But I also know there's lots of work to be done and lots of improvements to be made. That's my job, that's where I come in, to help the players understand why we're doing things in possession, out of possession. But there were really encouraging signs from Saturday's game.

“It's quite a hectic schedule now, I think it's midweek for the next two or three weeks. How is that going to look? We've prepared for the last couple of days for this game, straight off the back of Thursday's game. We'll be concentrating on the game on Sunday, so another two days of training and then we go again. We were actually going through the schedule yesterday for what it's going to look like in the future. Sometimes you have to adapt and be flexible, because you have to take into account not just the physical loading or how the players are feeling physically, but also the emotional aspect.

"During my time at Liverpool, the under-21s were playing the Premier League Cup, UEFA Youth League, the league - we were in loads of competitions. We did that on purpose because we wanted the boys to replicate what it would look like if they ever got a chance to go out and play 40, 50, 60 games. In the [English] Championship it's very similar. I'd like to think that managing a group of squad of players and a staff for a busy period is something that I'm good at. We'll see.”