Hibs' draw at Kilmarnock on Sunday wasn't the easiest on the eye, and it ended with another punch in the gut for David Gray and his players.
Having grafted their way to a 1-0 advantage at Rugby Park, and having been relatively untroubled by their hosts all day, it only took a single lapse for Bruce Anderson to escape the Hibs backline, provoking a panicked Jordan Obita into giving away a 90th minute spot-kick. A share of the spoils against this Killie side, away from home, isn't a terrible result in isolation, but the nature of it sent the 1200-strong travelling support home feeling deflated all over again.
Gray now has a fortnight on the training pitch with those not departing on international duty. It's a time to bed in new players, eradicate issues, and work on implementing tactical ideas. The head coach tweaked his midfield setup on Sunday, his side operating in something more akin to 4-3-3/4-1-4-1. The deadline day return of Nectar Triantis saw him immediately come in at the base of midfield, allowing Joe Newell and Kwon Hyeok-kyu to push higher, as you can see below.
It was certainly an attritional affair in Ayrshire. Kilmarnock, with a front two of Bruce Anderson and Kyle Vassell, are happy to go long, and Hibs, to a certain extent, responded in kind. It resulted in an awful lot of scrapping for second balls, and quick turnovers of possession, and Hibs setup suggested this was how Gray always anticipated how the game would pan out.
Kwon and Newell's altered roles
Triantis' presence in front of the backline gave license for Newell and Kwon to press more aggressively alongside wingers Martin Boyle and Rudi Molotnikov. In the example below, Marvin Ekpiteta goes long towards Mykola Kucharevych, and you can see Newell and Kwon following up for the second ball. Newell presses Kilmarnock into giving it away, and Triantis steps up to intercept, with the ball eventually finding its way to Kucharevych, who gets a shot on target from the edge of the box.
These are much higher positions for Kwon and Newell to be taking up compared to last week's home game against Dundee, where they both often found themselves perhaps a bit too close to the back four. It was also a first opportunity to get a look at Kwon in a more dynamic role. The South Korean looks after the ball well, can break up play, and is generally full of energy. The example below shows he's capable of more than the sitting role it was thought he would occupy after arriving on loan from Celtic. The ball breaks to Molotnikov as Hibs defend a Kilmarnock attack, and it's Kwon making the surging run from the edge of his own box.
Molotnikov slips the ball to Kukharevych, who then finds Kwon's third man run, and within a few seconds he's carried the ball to the edge of Kilmarnock's box.
Over the 90 minutes (as per Wyscout), Kwon had 86% pass accuracy, won 48% of his duels, completed five dribbles, and recovered the ball 12 times.
Defensive positioning
His and Newell's defensive positioning was again different to what we've seen in midfield under Gray, with the head coach dispensing with the number 10 role, at least for this fixture. In the example below, Stuart Findlay takes possession for Kilmarnock, but steps out to find his options limited by Hibs' shape.
He eventually digs out a pass to the opposite side and Hibs shuffle across, with Newell stepping out to the ball. Although Molotnikov tucks in, he does take a slight step out towards the right-back, and Killie play through into the inside-right position. But it's a crowded area, and Hibs get Warren O'Hora, Kwon and Triantis quickly around the ball to win it back.
Triantis starts strongly
There was cynicism among some Hibs fans, who were holding out for Luke McCowan, when Triantis' loan return from Sunderland was announced on Friday evening. But as much as his appearances in the centre-back role were underwhelming, as a defensive midfielder he showed obvious promise. He's strong, athletic, and has very good on-ball qualities. There's a good range of passing, from playing out of tight areas to long switches, and his incredible run and shot off the bar, demonstrating his usefulness as a ball carrier. Just look at where he picks up possession before going on to beat four men before coming within a whisker of scoring a goal of the season contender.
Off the ball, Triantis was very deliberately stationed close to Ekpiteta and O'Hora in anticipation of Killie shelling long balls towards Vassell. Triantis recovered the ball 17 times across the 90 minutes, often on hand to snuff out danger. On Sunday's evidence, bringing him back could be among the best pieces of business Hibs conducted over the summer.
What next?
It would be no surprise if the Triantis-Newell-Kwon trio continued into Hibs' next outing after the international break. St Johnstone at home, though, will be a different test against a side that will almost certainly camp in and challenge Hibs to break them down. You do then wonder who emerges as the creative outlet from the middle, though, as none of Sunday's three are natural advanced playmakers. Gray's declaration that this midfield 'will get better' suggests he's seen enough to stick with it. It could put more creative emphasis on the wingers and, if it wasn't already, would make a swift return for Elie Youan very welcome indeed.
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It's certainly an effective combination for stuffy away games, with enough dynamism to stand up to a physical battle. If anything, though, Hibs could have better utilised that all three are good ball players, as it felt, at times, like the tendency was to go long that bit too often. Yes, Kwon and Newell can press and harry if moved further forward, but they also have more to offer in terms of getting the ball on the deck than they were able to show on Sunday.
The result was, of course, still a disappointing one and there were several elements of the performance which can still get better. But that midfield was an area Hibs fans were very keen to see change and improve, and there were clear signs on Sunday that it's been upgraded.
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