Exclusive: Hibs boss on tactical criticism, confused pundits - and keeping the faith for Celtic test

Montgomery tries to get his message across in the loss ot Rangers at Ibrox

Visit of league leaders won’t prompt change in approach - despite bruising experience at Ibrox

Too open? To ambitious? Adventurous bordering on the catastrophically cavalier?

Nick Montgomery has almost certainly heard it all before. And he’s having none of it.

The Hibs boss, sounding just a little baffled by criticism of his tactics in the weekend loss to Rangers at Ibrox, is adamant that the basics he’s put in place at Easter Road – from formation to transition, attacking intent to defensive principles – won’t be thrown out after a single bad result.

Yes, he wants his team to be better defensively when Celtic come calling on Saturday afternoon. After a 4-0 loss in Govan, there’s been plenty of work on stopping the opposition.

But there is no hint of changing a shape that saw former Hibee Tam McManus, now a pundit, chime in with other critics accusing Monty’s men of playing “a 4-4-2 … verging on a 4-2-4 at times, which left themselves wide open at the back.”

Asked about a potential change of formation for the visit of the best attacking side in Scotland, Montgomery said: “Not really. We play a 4-4-2.

“We played a 4-4-2 at the weekend – NOT a 4-2-4. When we are attacking, we want to get the wingers forward, get numbers forward. Like any team, you don’t score goals unless you have numbers in the box.

“But defensively, we’ve been working hard this week on being more compact, because I think that transition moment when we lose the ball has to be quicker. That’s something that let us down at the weekend.

“So, yeah, the shape is the shape. We defend with 10, we attack with 10, nothing changes.

“Formation is a number and I think people get carried away because it’s definitely a 4-4-2. Not a 4-2-4.

“If you turn the ball over and you don’t react quickly, obviously it looks open. But that’s about having the right mindset in that transition moment, making sure we react quickly.

“There can’t be any hesitation against top teams and top players because the one thing you can guarantee is they’ll be faster. You have to react at the same speed as them or you give them the advantage.

“We’re concentrating on how we play in and out of possession. But we know we need to be better on both sides. If we do that, we can compete with anybody.”

Celtic roll into Edinburgh on the back of their best Champions League performance of the season, in Wednesday night’s dramatic 2-2 home draw against Atletico Madrid, and buoyed by last weekend’s 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle.

Brendan Rodgers’ men have only dropped two points from a potential 27 in the Scottish Premiership this season. Top scorers in the league, averaging over two-and-a-half goals a game, they head into every domestic fixture as favourites, with only the specific odds changing from week to week.

Admitting it would be difficult to pin down all of the attacking threats available to Rodgers, Montgomery said: “You need to focus on players’ individual strengths when you’re previewing the game with your players. But you can’t focus on every single player.

“As a team, we need to make sure our defensive structure is sound, that we’re prepared for whoever they play. They’ve got a very valuable squad, including some players on the bench, so you have to be ready for every moment of the game, whoever plays – and focus on doing things proper.

“I’ve watched Celtic a lot and obviously they’re a very good team. I watched them a lot last season and this season. They’re a very dynamic team.

“As well as having very talented individuals, Brendan has them playing at an incredibly high intensity level, playing attractive football. If you switch off for one moment, they’ll punish you, because they’ve got the players to do that.

“But I also know that, when we’re on our game, we can be a match for anybody.

“You have to look at the way Celtic play and come up with a game plan to nullify their strengths. And they have a lot more strengths than a lot of teams.

“So a lot more effort goes into that side of it. But we also focus on how we’re going to play.”