'The manager is not wrong' - Élie Youan reflects on derby defeat, missed chance, and where Hearts are better than Hibs

‘Upset’ is the first word that comes to Élie Youan’s mind when he looks back on the gilt-edged chance he passed up during Hibs’ Edinburgh derby defeat on Monday.

With Hearts two goals to the good after Lawrence Shankland’s double the French forward intercepted a Cammy Devlin pass and sped off towards goal but Toby Sibbick got back to put in a perfectly-timed last-ditch tackle as the striker prepared to pull the trigger. Youan is not a player short on confidence but knows he has to do better if presented with similar chances in future.

Speaking afterwards he said: “I’m upset about the chance I missed but I always try to keep my confidence up during a game. I should have checked where the defender was before shooting. He made a good tackle. It was a chance for us but I have to keep going and keep working hard. The difference between us and Hearts is in the final third. We have to have more of a killer instinct – especially me because I missed that chance. We don’t do enough and we have to do better as a team. It’s always hard to explain a loss, especially a derby. We know how important this game is for the club and for the fans and we are very upset about the defeat.”

Easter Road manager Lee Johnson was scathing of many elements of his side’s performance on his return to Gorgie, blasting poor decision-making and admitting he was ‘sick to death of the mediocrity’. The under-fire Hibs boss – not for the first time this season – also lambasted his side’s failings in the final third, but Youan had to agree.

Élie Youan in action for Hibs during the Edinburgh derby

“The manager is not wrong in what he says. It’s always hard to lose a game, it’s hard to lose a derby, and a 3-0 defeat is even harder to take,” the 23-year-old continued. "I think we should have scored one or two goals against Hearts but we didn’t do enough in the final third. We have to do better, be more together, and keep going. We need to keep working hard at the training ground and for the rest of the season keep confidence high.”

Youan might have been one of the better performers in green and white at Tynecastle Park on Monday but he insists it means nothing without a result – and speaking from personal experience, backed Johnson’s decision to go after his squad in his blistering post-match remarks. The on-loan St. Gallen forward flattered to deceive somewhat before the World Cup break but drew praise from his manager for his performances against Rangers, Livingston, and Celtic despite two of those matches ending in defeat for Hibs.

"I think it’s good [that the manager has called the players out]. As you saw, I sometimes wasn’t playing a lot and I think I’m playing better than I was before. It’s good sometimes for the manager to challenge players to give more. But I don’t want to talk about my performance against Hearts because it’s a loss for the team. If I play badly but the team wins then that’s the most important thing. If I play well and the team loses, I’m not happy. It’s always the team first.”