Hearts Show Promise but Struggle Defensively Against St Johnstone
Hearts thrilling going forward, fragile at the back. The pattern under Steven Vrancken refuses to shift.
The new head coach has preached balance since he walked through the door, a harmony between the chaos of their attack and the anxiety of their defending. For long spells here, though, this didn’t look like a tactical problem. It looked like a team running on fumes.
They had emptied the tank in midweek, dragging themselves past Rapid Vienna with 10 men in a bruising European tie. The emotional surge, the physical toll – it all lingered. You could see it in their legs. You could see it in their choices.
For half an hour, none of that mattered.
Hearts flew out of the blocks, tearing into St Johnstone with a relentlessness that had Tynecastle – or any home crowd in that scenario – roaring. Eleven efforts before the break, seven on target, and wave after wave of pressure. In midfield, Mendy knitted everything together, sharp in the tackle and crisp on the ball, and came within inches of his first goal for the club.
His authority in the centre suddenly felt even more important given the grim midweek news. Tom Renaud’s nasty-looking injury against Rapid Vienna threatens to sideline the Frenchman for a lengthy spell, stripping Vrancken of one of his key pieces just as the season starts to bite.
Yet for all Hearts’ front-foot verve, the familiar wobble remained behind them.
St Johnstone struck early, another soft goal given up with alarming ease. One straight punch through the defence, and the hosts were picking the ball out of their net again. It has become a theme Vrancken cannot ignore.
The longer the game went, the more the early swagger drained away. Simple five-yard passes began to go astray. Players who had dominated the first half suddenly hesitated. Mental fatigue joined the physical, and by the closing stages Hearts were no longer hunting a third goal – they were clinging on to what they had.
They did cling on, though. Just. And that matters.
The final whistle brought relief more than celebration, but the three points land in the bank and the belief nudges upward before Thursday night’s Edinburgh derby at Easter Road. For a new manager trying to set standards, winning while playing on the edge of exhaustion is no bad statement.
On the other side, this could easily have unravelled for St Johnstone.
Concede early, get pinned back, and heads drop. Dundee United did exactly that on their recent visit to Gorgie and walked away on the end of a 4-0 hammering. This Saints team refused to fold.
Valakari’s side steadied themselves, then gradually stole the momentum. From being overwhelmed, they began to dictate spells of the game, particularly through the graft and quality of Jason Holt – facing his former club – and Sam Stanton in midfield. They snapped into tackles, drove their team forward and refused to let Hearts settle.
Up top, Jamie Gullan worked tirelessly, while substitutes Taylor Steven and Kai Fotheringham injected fresh menace. St Johnstone carved out several excellent chances to level, stretching a Hearts back line that looked increasingly rattled.
The moment that summed up their afternoon came when Josh Fowler rounded Reus in the second half. The hard part was done. The goal gaped. But the finish never came. A touch too many, a second’s doubt, and the chance was gone. Composure deserted them at the very point they needed it most.
Still, the signs for Saints are hard to ignore. There is invention and pace in the final third, there is bite in midfield, and there is a clear determination not to wilt in hostile environments. Like Hearts, though, they live with the same flaw: plenty of threat going forward, not enough security behind.
Two teams with attacking weapons, two defences still learning to trust themselves. Whoever fixes that first will decide how far this season can really go.
