Hibs left short for key clash as international stars jet off

Asian Cup and AFCON call-ups already impacting on Monty's options

Boyle is one of FOUR Hibs players off on international duty

In stark contrast to most of the population following the annual festival of greed and gluttony, there’s a distinctly thin feel to the Hibs squad at the moment. And it’s about to get even leaner.

Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller will definitely miss the final Scottish Premiership game before the winter break, while Rocky Bushiri and back-up goalie Jojo Wollacott are also scheduled to head away on international duty before next Tuesday’s visit of Motherwell to Easter Road. Having spoken often about the potential impact of losing key players to the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, the reality is about to hit home for head coach Nick Montgomery.

It doesn’t help, of course, that Hibs are being asked to absorb another heavy blow so soon after being flattened by a late sucker punch in last night’s derby. With Josh Campbell added to the lengthy injury list during the 1-0 home loss, Montgomery must feel like he’s being pummelled from all directions at the moment.

Without falling into the sort of Americanism that may become all the rage once billionaire Bournemouth owner Bill Foley's proposed investment starts to influence the language around Easter Road, the Hibernian ‘depth chart’ looks pretty shallow. Let’s take a look at the areas of concern both in personnel, and in the critical issues revealed by defeat to Hearts.

A worrying lack of firepower

Dylan Vente looks out of sorts. He looks like a striker with one goal in 13 games. The Dutchman needed to bury the chance created for him by Martin Boyle inside the closing 20 minutes last night; if he does, Hibs almost certainly win the game. And Vente probably should have given Hearts defender Kyle Rowles no chance to concede the penalty with his ‘save’ earlier in the game.

While Christian Doidge looked lively as a very late sub, he’s clearly fallen to No. 3 striker in the pecking order. With Boyle due at the Socceroos training camp in Abu Dhabi from January 1, is the Welshman now the obvious starter in support of Vente? They were paired together right at the start of the Monty era, remember. And did pretty well.

Without making any predictions about success or failure in the transfer market and remaining mindful of the fact that Adam Le Fondre could return before the window closes, the absence of Boyle – pressed into service up top despite looking more comfortable on the wing – means director of football Brian McDermott will surely be prioritising the acquisition of a striker. Available from the first day of 2024, preferably.

Defensive doubts

Bushiri being named in the final Democratic Republic of Congo squad for AFCON yesterday definitely causes a problem. Whatever doubts supporters may harbour about a player prone to erratic decision making, the very basic fact of being a body down in central defence –Riley Harbottle clearly isn’t an option, given his inability to get a single minute of playing time under Montgomery – is a concern.

Bushiri is in the DRC squad for AFCON.

Bushiri, due to report for national service at the DRC holding camp next week, has just reclaimed a starting place from club captain Paul Hanlon, who is the most obvious replacement for the Belgian-born centre-half. Monty will be praying the veteran stays fit. But was surely already targeting a central defender in January.

Miller’s emergence as a key member of the Socceroos squad means more playing time, in the short term, for 16-year-old Rory Whittaker. The kid has shown himself to be equal to most challenges, so far. Even allowing for Chris Cadden’s imminent return to training, Whittaker will need to man up. Again.

Wollacott is only in a huge 50-man squad reporting for training camp in South Africa on Monday, incidentally, with Ghana head coach Chris Hughton looking to reduce numbers to 26 next week. Max Boruc will be hoping his team-mate makes the cut …

Wider trends

Even without losing all four players for a month or more, few would dispute the idea that Hibs are missing something at the moment. For all the good work done in implementing a playing style that works against any number of tactics, the lack of cutting edge in and around the penalty box is a clear concern for Montgomery.

Part of that can be solved with the addition of fresh personnel. But there’s also likely to be a keen focus on attacking in the final third during the winter break.

On the plus side, Elie Youan absolutely terrified Hearts when he was introduced – ahead of schedule because of Campbell’s injury, admittedly – to the contest last night. With Jair Tavares and Jordan Obita beginning to develop a good understanding on the left wing and Youan on the right, there is clear potential for Hibs to recapture the form that – before back-to-back defeats – saw them pick up four wins in five games.