New-look Hearts: The identity, the tactics, the constants and the maverick
Plenty to learn ahead of the 2025/26 SPFL season
Two games under Derek McInnes and there is already a clear identity about this new-look Hearts team. Anyone watching the Premier Sports Cup group matches against Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton Academical would have noticed common themes and a few variables for season 2025/26. Far from the finished article and with more transfers to come, the direction McInnes is taking Hearts seems quite obvious.
Beating Dunfermline Athletic and Hamilton Academical 4-1 and 4-0 respectively in the first two competitive fixtures prompts natural excitement at the team’s goalscoring exploits, but also caution that these are lower-league opponents. What we have learned is that McInnes wants Hearts to attack, almost relentlessly, and press opponents back in their own half with some proper hustling tactics. All of which augurs well for high-intensity Premiership games starting next month.
By then, the head coach will be even clearer in his mind regarding who his starting mainstays should be and what formation works best. There are some signs from pre-season friendlies and the two Premier Sports ties indicating what Hearts fans can expect over the weeks and months ahead.
Firstly, Stuart Findlay will play when fit. The central defender is a trusted lieutenant of McInnes from their time at Kilmarnock and marked his debut in maroon with a goal against Hamilton. He missed the Dunfermline match through suspension and was instantly given a start against Accies, underlining his importance to the manager. He is comfortable in a four and three-man defence and offers a goal threat at set-plays. He will have a big part to play in Hearts’ campaign. Craig Halkett and Frankie Kent are competing to partner him along with Michael Steinwender and Stephen Kingsley - and three centre-backs will be used at times.
New right-back Christian Borchgrevink is more adept attacking than defending. He suffered an injury late on against Hamilton after his earlier run and cross provided Elton Kabangu with a simple chance to score the second goal. He played wing-back on Tuesday but can be exposed at full-back. Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee was deployed at right-back in a back four against Dunfermline with Borchgrevink on the bench, so the Norwegian’s starting slot is far from guaranteed.
Contrast that with Harry Milne on the opposite flank. The left-back Hearts signed from Partick Thistle in January is developing into a useful asset with two assists in two games. His corner allowed Stephen Kingsley to score the fourth against Dunfermline, and on Tuesday night his low cross provided Claudio Braga’s opportunity for a first goal in maroon. He is also an accomplished defender with a physical presence.
Other things to expect from McInnes’ Hearts include McEntee in midfield more often than at full-back. The manager recognises that is his favoured position. Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin, Calem Nieuwenhof and Blair Spittal will compete for the central slots, with Baningime favourite to be the anchor man. Teenage striker James Wilson continues to impress and will start games regularly. His movement and intelligence are not lost on McInnes or coaches Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald. As one would imagine, captain Lawrence Shankland will also be on the teamsheet when fit after Tynecastle officials made him their highest-paid player on a new three-year contract this month.
Which brings us to Claudio Braga, the Portuguese forward already revelling in the role of maverick in this new Hearts side. His performances on Saturday and Tuesday suggest he is far more effective and comfortable in a forward role than wide on the left. His work rate is impressive but there is strong technical ability within the 25-year-old, plus a desire to create and score. He also loves to entertain and enjoys supporters’ adulation. A Gorgie cult hero in the making, you might say.
Hearts transfers - Chesnokov, Kerjota, Kabore and perhaps more signings
Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis has yet to appear yet after a niggling injury. He will bring direct running, dribbling and goalscoring ability but how much game time he gets remains to be seen. The imminent arrivals of Sabah Kerjota and Pierre Landry Kabore will increase competition for places out wide. Then there’s the possibility - slim, as things stand - of Islam Chesnokov arriving before the transfer window closes.
A surplus of wingers might tempt McInnes to use a 4-4-2 system, or even a 4-3-3, more often this season. What his Hearts team will be is flexible; able to flip formation during games. He will use a 3-5-2 for certain games and tried it out to good effect against Hamilton. Wide players will occasionally be used as wing-backs, as Alan Forrest was on Tuesday. See Danny Armstrong at Kilmarnock and Jonny Hayes at Aberdeen when McInnes was in charge.
It’s also fairly obvious which players are not quoted. Norwegian midfielder Sander Kartum, Spanish forward Musa Drammeh and young Scottish defender Adam Forrester were not stripped for any of Hearts’ opening two games. Forrester is a youth academy graduate who could be loaned out before the transfer window closes. Kartum and Drammeh may need to leave if they want regular first-team football.
McInnes can’t afford to let emotions cloud his judgment as Hearts head coach. He needs players he can trust to earn results which can restore the Edinburgh club to a challenging position. Fans demand better than last season’s seventh place and the management team have underlined their desire to win at Tynecastle. Inevitably, some players will be cut adrift as the new gameplan takes shape.
There will likely be one or two more incomings as well. The manager hopes he does not need to enter the transfer market for another goalkeeper, but admitted he cannot entirely rule it out. Craig Gordon is injured and Zander Clark has barely played in the last year. “It's something that we might need to be aware of and be active on. I hope we don't. I hope Craig gets some good news and I hope Zander stays fit,” said McInnes last week.
He is a huge believer in passing forward. Even during pre-season training sessions at La Finca during a white-hot Spanish heatwave, he would celebrate goals scored from brave and incisive attacks. There is visible frustration in the technical area when a forward pass is on but not played. Likewise when a striker fails to hold possession or plays a slack lay-off with back to goal. The emphasis is very much on the final third, protecting the ball to create and score goals.
This is all part of Hearts’ new identity. Bigger tests than Dunfermline and Hamilton will come, but so far there is clear purpose. A desire to attack, go forward with speed, aggression, and a strong work ethic are clear from the first two games. It is a platform on which to build. The team is a long way from the finished article but these are the foundations for the season ahead.
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