Levein eyes the perfect balance at Tynecastle
WHEN Craig Levein commenced his second spell as Hearts manager, he preached caution at every turn. It was there in his body language too as he eased his way back into frontline club management for the first time in nearly eight years.
Of late, there are signs that the old Levein is back — maybe not quite as fiery as a decade ago but rock hard and unafraid to rattle cages in his pursuit of the upper hand.
Before defeating Celtic last month, he had a bite at Brendan Rodgers by way of response to criticism of Hearts’ recruitment policy over the close season.
And then last week he was winding up Neil Lennon, claiming victory over Hibs in the derby had restored ‘natural order’ to the Edinburgh scene.
He may have been a reluctant conscript when club chair Ann Budge insisted that he should be the man to clear up the mess created during the failed experiment with former head coach Ian Cathro, but five months on the bit seems firmly between his teeth.
Back in September, he claimed it would take two transfer windows to remould an imbalanced squad into something closer to his own preferred shape. As we approach the end of his first month of trading, it looks as if the plan has been accelerated.
‘The second half of the season will decide whether we are ahead of schedule,’ says Levein. ‘I know what I think will improve us but whether it will, we will see about that. But I would say that already I think we are better.’
Specifically, Levein had bemoaned the lack of a dependable left-back and also a shortage of speed and width in the final third.
The full-back problem has been addressed by the capture of Demetri Mitchell. On his debut against Hibs, the Manchester United loanee looked perfectly comfortable and should consign the ghosts of Juwon Oshaniwa and Rafa Grzelak to the past.
Further up the pitch have come winger Danny Amankwaa from FC Copenhagen, while Steven Naismith — who once headed a goal for Levein’s Scotland against reigning world champions Spain — was lured on loan from Norwich.
‘Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined we would get Steven,’ admits Levein. ‘Deme adds balance to the left-hand side of the park, while Danny has brought real speed to the front line on either side and these are the things that had been missing.
‘Okay, we have lost a couple of players and I need to fix that as well, but the balance is better, there is more speed and I do think we are already better.
‘I already know Steven and his character. I am still learning about young Deme but I have been really pleased with what I have seen so far. The players we have had for a while I am getting to know better but then we have added another, Danny, and we might add one more. ‘The important thing for me is having players on the pitch who lead by example, who talk and cajole, and we are fortunate that we have a number of those. The more of those we have the better.’
Having defeated Rodgers’ Celtic by an improbable 4-0 scoreline last time, Levein feels no trepidation about taking his team to the east end of Glasgow in midweek. Not that he expects a similar result.
‘You don’t put together a run like Celtic did without having determination and pride in what you are doing,’ he continues.
‘I expect a more determined Celtic than might have been the case the last time and I expect them to be even more up for it.
‘I think it’s better if we don’t talk about the manner in which we won because that will probably just rile them up even more, but what I will say is that on the day everything went great for us.
‘We got some breaks, they missed some chances and we got goals at critical moments and it was a great day for us. But the set of circumstances won’t be replicated because first and foremost we are not at home and we might have to play it in a different way, depending on personnel. But we will see.
‘There is an element of excitement about going to play at Celtic Park. It is a great venue and I think there will be a big crowd,
so I’m sure the players will have the same thoughts as me. It is always an exciting day when you play through there.’
If the win over Celtic remains the stand-out result of Hearts’ season, it has come amid an impressive run which has showcased defensive fortitude.
Mitchell may have provided a missing link at the back but the established pairing of Christophe Berra and John Souttar — ably backed by keeper Jon McLaughlin — had not conceded a goal since December 2 until Motherwell’s late leveller yesterday.
‘Confidence is a much soughtafter thing and if we could go down the shops and buy a bottle, then I think we all would,’ says Levein. ‘You get confidence from experiencing something and feeling good about yourself and then you do it again and feel better.
‘I wouldn’t say that the Celtic game was the big spike. We have been steadily getting there and that gave us a jump.
‘Yes, beating Celtic made people sit up and take notice but I don’t believe it has all been down to one game.’
The most important thing for me is having players on the pitch who lead by example