Hibs seek return to 'clean sheet mentality' amid messy aftermath of Celtic defeats

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David Gray is clear on his immediate priorities. If Hibs are to give themselves a fighting chance of climbing the table, they must rediscover the “clean sheet mentality” that served them so well early in Gray’s time as gaffer.

Easier said than done, right? Especially when you consider his team’s current tendency to turn every challenge into a chaotic mess. Even allowing for the quality of opposition, conceding eight goals in three games is the sort of unmissable warning sign that would have any coach scrambling for immediate solutions.

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As Gray’s men prepare to welcome fast starters Dundee to Easter Road on Saturday, then, where does this Hibs squad stand, in terms of readiness? With nine new signings on board and a couple of unwanted fringe players offloaded, they’re very much a work in progress. But under pressure to improve in ALL areas. Preferably before Saturday comes.

Goalkeeper

We need to talk about Josef Bursik. Confident, vocal, boasting a good pedigree and not short of ambition, the former England Under-21 goalkeeper arrived amid high expectations when Hibs made him their first signing of the summer window.

It’s fair to say that, so far, Bursik has not excelled as expected. And he clearly needs some time to get in sync with his defence, given the number of misunderstandings they’ve experienced in games against St Mirren and Celtic.

Burski and Marvin Ekpiteta can't prevent Celtic's Daizen Maeda from scoring his second in yesterday's game. | SNS Group

Gray’s options here are limited. Bursik was signed as a No. 1 and it’s hard to see Jordan Smith starting. Goalie coach Craig Samson will be earning his corn, then, as he races to improve Bursik’s positioning and responsibilities in relation to his central defenders.

Defence

Any goalkeeper is going to struggle if the guys in front of him keep playing daft back passes, of course. And that’s not the only problem evident in a Hibs back line struggling to establish a foundation against top-tier opposition.

Gray is clear that this remains a focus, saying: “We’ve done a lot of work on being harder to beat. We saw it in pre-season, not losing a goal and looking really strong.

“We need to get back to that clean sheet mentality. We need to be driving that focus. We’ve never come away from it, as a group – but we need to deliver on it.

“Mistakes happen. And a couple of the goals we’ve lost have been very avoidable. But it’s very rarely just one mistake that leads to goal. Usually there are at least three mistakes leading to one goal.

“To stop one mistake becoming two, that can be by putting the ball in the stands. It can be by committing a foul. A number of different ways – but recognise it as early as you can.”

Switching to a back three against Celtic yesterday didn’t do much to stop the flow of goals against, although playing the champions at Celtic Park hardly provides an accurate reading of defensive strength. When Brendan Rodgers gets his men playing with the sort of slick rotations they displayed in the first half hour, opponents inevitably just run out of bodies to cover every threat.

But Marvin Ekpiteta has now gifted the opposition two goals in three starts, beginning with that league opener away to St Mirren. Hibs fans have seen an awful lot of players – often central defenders – who roll up from the EFL Championship or League One full of confidence, only to find that the Scottish Premiership is an altogether more frenetic environment. Ekpiteta needs to get up to speed soon, or risk being written off as another bad cross-Border deal.

Midfield

Hibs boss Gray doesn’t argue with the idea that he’s still seeking the right “blend” in the middle of the park, acknowledging: “Yeah, I think that’s fair to say. There’s been movement in the window again with Hyeokkyu Kwon coming in. He just adds more athleticism in there.

“It’s an area where I’ve changed it a couple of times in recent weeks. When you look at the whole balance of the squad, it’s still about the right type of people and competition for places. That brings the best out of players already here – and new players coming in have that point to prove, looking to impress all the time.

Kwon's arrival gives Gray more midfield options. | SNS Group

“That blend together should raise the standard of training every day. And that raises performance levels all the time, because you need to perform or risk having someone taking the jersey off you.”

Club captain Joe Newell’s place is probably safe. Josh Campbell has been asked to take on extra responsibility. Kwon will certainly play. The rest are all playing for game time. At the moment.

Attack

When it comes to optimism among Hibs fans, a lot of heavy lifting is being done by players still working their way up to match fitness. Everything, it seems, depends on the new guys being ready to start.

Gray needs Junior Hoilett to be fit enough to make the bench, at least. The Canadian international brings a wealth of experience and ability to the squad. But it’s only worth something when he’s on the park.

Kieron Bowie needs sharpening up, on the evidence of his two substitute outings to date. And Mykola Kuharevich did really well to win the free-kick and then score from Martin Boyle’s delivery at Celtic Park yesterday. But Myko was still part of the XI completely dominated by Celtic for the first half hour, so he’s not the messiah.

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His excellent free-kick aside, Boyle looked a spent force yesterday. Exhausted by a summer of World Cup qualifiers for Australia? Maybe.

Nicky Cadden getting 45 minutes under his belt on the left wing will have helped. And young Rudi Molotnikov has looked lively out wide, even if it isn’t his favourite starting position.

With Dundee at home and Killie away to come before the international break, Gray could do with some accelerated learning on the training ground this week. Because the alternative to a rapid improvement is, even at this early stage of the season, close to unthinkable. And, as the manager himself understands, certainly unacceptable.