Exclusive:'We'll find a way' - Hibs defensive issues force flexibility for Ross County Premier Sports Cup quarter-final
Serbian signing may feature in Highlands as David Gray’s men seek Hampden semi
Jack Iredale is back from suspension. Grant Hanley will be touch and go. New arrival Marko Ivezic, meanwhile, is football fit – but has been feeling “poorly.” Oh, and Jordan Obita won’t be seen again until after the international break.
To say that Hibs have a few defensive issues heading into yet another potentially season-defining weekend of all-or-nothing football would be something of an understatement. Given that they finished Sunday’s loss to St Johnstone with an improvised back three of Kanayo Megwa, Jason Kerr and Adam Mayor, plain old bad luck might feel like a welcome change of pace for David Gray.
Obita out until after international break
The Easter Road gaffer takes his team to Dingwall this weekend knowing that beating Ross County in their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final is an absolute necessity. He may just have to achieve that without a very recognisable back line.
Inevitably, Gray is eager to avoid looking for excuses, insisting: “There are always options, that's football. We'll find a way.
“We're not going to look at it and go: ‘Oh we're struggling for this, we're struggling for that.’ The situation is what it is. We'll have players that are able play and we'll put what we believe is the best opportunity to try and win the game.
“Yeah, at the weekend there we felt it a lot because Jack Iredale was suspended. He's back and available.
“But you are just trying to protect the defenders as much as you possibly can because we are a bit vulnerable and light in that situation. Just because it seems to be any issue we're picking up is in that back line at this moment in time.”
Two defenders signed in transfer window
Hibs brought in two defenders at the end of the summer window, with Serbian centre-half Ivezic’s signing announced within minutes of Warren O’Hora having his departure to Leicester City confirmed, while Wales under-21 full-back Alex Williams was signed on a season-long loan from West Brom. The absence of O’Hora, especially, has been keenly felt in the two games since the deadline.
Providing an update on Ivezic, who has played just 25 minutes of first-team football – 19 of those minutes coming in a friendly – this season, Gray stressed: “He hasn't really missed any pre-season up until this point, which is good. And he's a good athlete, athletic type. So that's really positive.
“The one issue is he's been a bit poorly since he's arrived, so that's something else we're contending with. So we'll just wait and see where he's at. Hopefully we can push him on a wee bit further.
“He has trained. He's trained a couple of times. But he's feeling a wee bit unwell at this moment in time. But hopefully it's nothing serious.”
Exactly how Hibs line up to face League One side County will depend on quite a few different variables. The one positive is that, when it comes to the back line, they’re well practiced in changing shape on the fly.
Mainly setting up in a back four, the positioning of Felix Passlack at right back/right wingback means Gray’s men often look as if they’re playing in a back three. Mayor, who lined up at left back on Sunday, had previously played on the left of midfield.
“Yeah, I think we've probably already demonstrated that this season, whether we're a three in possession, four out of possession, whether we've been a proper five at times,” said Gray. “I say it a lot, it's probably more to do with how we feel we can nullify opponents and also punish opponents in the best possible way.
“And how personnel, what puts a round peg and a round hole at times, is sometimes an element of that. Which is something we've obviously done with the likes of Jamie McGrath when he plays out on the left, pushing him a wee bit further forward, without the ball.
“So there's always ways you can tweak it. And I think that's something I do speak a lot about, that flexibility and the benefit of having dual position players. I think that does help.
“A prime example of that would be, like Jack Iredale can play left-back left-centre. Jordan Obita is a good example of that, because he can play that whole left-hand side, although we’re missing him just now. Kanayo Megwa is the same.
“So we have got flexibility within that and that's where it's a good thing. You can have a little bit more flexibility for situations like this - and I think that is important.”