Pundit pinpoints what Hearts need to arrest winless run and an approach that could unlock Shankland goals


Michael Stewart reckons a back to basics approach can help Hearts find their winning groove after a tough start to the season.
It was a difficult afternoon for Hearts on Sunday as their winless run across all competitions this season stretches to five through a 3-1 Premiership defeat to Motherwell. The Steelmen were ahead in this game in the first half through a Paul McGinn header, and Stephen O’Donnell made it two in the second half.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdYutaro Oda pulled one back for Steven Naismith’s men but a poor pass towards his own goal by Andres Salazar allowed Tom Sparrow to poke home the winner for those in claret and amber. It leaves Hearts on a point after three Premiership games, with the second leg of their Europa League play-off with Viktoria Plzen to come on Thursday night.
The tie stands at 1-0 to the Czech club but Hearts will hope to turn it around after a positive performance away from home. For ex-Hearts midfielder Stewart, he reckons a simplified approach is what is required, with Naismith changing from a back three to a back four during the game against Motherwell. Consistency is what the pundit holds as key, with his view that Shankland must take up a role as an out-and-out number nine with either of Blair Spittal or Yan Dhanda behind him
Stewart told Sportsound: “I don’t know what the recruitment set-up at Hearts is, I don’t know who is driving it, whether it’s solely down to the manager, predominantly down to him or in part down to him. I have said it from day one, the squad is imbalanced, which limits the options the side can look to do. It looks a little bit overly complicated.
“It doesn’t look comfortable and they are suffering because of that. You look at the change in system and I know the goal makes a difference as it came from nowhere and gave Hearts a lift, but just having that threat in wide areas from Oda. Getting into those areas and putting opposition on the backfoot caused problems. Until they get better, it is almost as if they need to suffer with that inconsistency.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Once that is on the park, it frees up greater space for other players who have ability. There are too many players that are the same and you can’t flood a team with all the same type of players. Dhanda and Spittal in particular, if you are going to play those two in that same area, you have to have pace to stretch the game to create the gaps for them to operate in.
“At the moment Hearts don’t have that. To try and get back to basics, I would look to try and get him (Shankland) up top and get pace in wide areas to penetrate and get him in the box. Get some of those nice technical players like Dhanda and Spittal to play in behind him. I think consistency in selection is what Hearts need at the moment.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.