Hibs analysis: After playing all teams, is there much to worry about in league?

Hibs are on solid ground with the start they have made in the league this season.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw away at Ross County was the Hibees’ eleventh game of the league campaign and resulted in Jack Ross’ men now having faced all teams in the division.

The bare stats of the league table look very good for Hibs. They have 21 points, having chalked up a very respectable six wins and only tasted defeat twice. They are already well ensconced in a battle with Aberdeen for third place and, already, the minimum requirement looks to be fourth spot.

This is in stark contrast to where Hibs were at this point last season, as the wheels firmly came for then head coach Paul Heckingbottom. They had only won one league match – an opening-day victory over Dundee – and a dysfunctional, dispirited team was flirting with a scrap in the relegation zone.

With that in mind, current boss Ross deserves immense credit for the turnaround he has implemented since taking on the job 11 months ago, particularly in the grim world of reduced budgets and dealing with the impacts of a pandemic.

Have Hibs seen anything to concern them this season?

The first thing to look at is the opposition this season. With the greatest of respect to the majority of the teams in the league, Hibs should not be frightened. Out of the 11 teams they’ve faced, they have comfortably dispatched St Mirren and Livingston and while the wins were narrow, they never felt in any great peril against Hamilton, St Johnstone, Dundee United and Kilmarnock.

The 0-0 draw against Motherwell was a risky game – despite the Steelmen’s poor start to the season, they caused Hibs problems that day, but they are a diminished force since David Turnbull’s departure to Celtic. The draw against Ross County last weekend was a match that Hibs had most of the play, and had a shot at ten men for 15 minutes. There was nothing from County to suggest that they can be a stern threat to Hibs’ European chances.

Aberdeen, clearly, are a different proposition. Not only did they manage to pilfer Ross McCrorie, a star performer in midfield, from under Hibs’ noses, but the former Rangers youngster ran the show at Easter Road when the Dons inflicted Hibs’ first defeat of the season upon them at the end of August. While not miles away from Aberdeen, Hibs appear to still be playing catch-up.

The matches against each half of the Old Firm have been intriguing. The 2-2 draw between Hibs and Rangers at Easter Road was evidence that Hibs can mix it with the league’s best; after all, they are one of only two teams to have taken points off the current leaders this term. The 3-0 defeat by reigning champions Celtic in Glasgow was disappointing, the only game so far when Hibs were truly played off the pitch.

Defensive stability

Hibs shipped a hideous amount of goals last season, so to have started off this league campaign with five clean sheets in 11 matches is a massive upgrade. This has happened for a few reasons: the improved form of goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, a fully-fit and firing Ryan Porteous and generally a versatile back-line that has been well-coached by Ross and his assistant John Potter. Hibs look as comfortable in a back-three as they do in a back-four.

The fact that on-field captain Paul Hanlon made his Scotland debut last week and that his team-mates Paul McGinn and Porteous were in the squad emphasises the bedrock Hibs have created. They are a tough nut for teams in Scotland to crack. With wing-backs such as Josh Doig, who was recently called into the Scotland Under-19 squad, and Australian Martin Boyle, they can boast a defence more often than not of international repute. There aren’t many who can live with that calibre of defence – as has been proved.

Final third of the pitch

What these first 11 games of the season have also told us is that Hibs have goals. They’ve bagged 16 so far and have the league's top scorer in Kevin Nisbet. The £250,000 fee from Dunfermline came with risk, and flak amid cost-cutting, but Hibs need to be a viable business on the pitch. Splashing out on him was a fine move, not least because the 23-year-old has scope to improve too. He is on the cusp on the Scotland squad.

While strike-partner Christian Doidge hasn’t made the Wales squad, much to the chagrin of Hibs’ social media team, don’t be fooled by his goal-rate drying up. His selfless work creates space for others. Boyle has chipped in with goals, as has Drey Wright and even Joe Newell, whose rags-to-riches story at Hibs is impressive. This time at Hibs he was persona non grata; now he is one of the first names on the team-sheet.

Hibs do need a bit more spice in the midfield – they miss Scott Allan’s A-game, but he is sidelined by illness – and while Kyle Magennis’ arrival is welcomed, he will need time to settle.

Grab bull by the horns

In any case, the signs are good. The first tranche of fixtures should give Hibs, and their supporters, real optimism. This league is there for the taking outside of the Old Firm. With a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts at the end of the month, and a strong foothold in the race for Europa League spots, it is all there for Hibs to have a fine season. The fact that Hibs are seven points ahead of fifth-placed Kilmarnock at this juncture is an indication of the gap between the top four and the rest.

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