Sergio given food for thought over squad quality after shock cup exit

Sergio prepared for his team’s League Cup tie against Ayr United in his usual thorough way, having his opponents watched several times, and there was no trace of complacency in evidence in the Hearts coaching or playing staff as they talked about the game the day before. But, while the manager may not have underestimated Ayr, he did overestimate the strength of his own squad.

Having made a raft of changes to his team for the return Europa League game against Tottenham, Sergio may have reasonably concluded that he would be able to do the same against Ayr. If so, he was wrong. Ayr rode their luck after going a goal behind, but by the end of the night there was no disputing the fact that the team who are bottom of the First Division had deserved their victory.

Since replacing Jim Jefferies just after the start of the season, Sergio, a rational and intelligent man, has consistently stressed his desire for his players to be “cold” and dispassionate. He has failed to grasp that, when the going gets tough, superior skill is often not enough, and that some victories have to be scrapped for.

Having said that, it became obvious the longer Wednesday’s game went on that Hearts’ superiority existed mainly on paper, and that some of Sergio’s selections were simply not doing the business. Darren Barr looked a bundle of nerves in defence, while John Sutton up front also showed a distinct lack of confidence – unsurprisingly given the manager’s lack of faith in him.

The main problem, however, was the five-man midfield, which was unbalanced and lightweight when it should have been the area where Hearts took a grip. Arvydas Novikovas was at least eager to get involved in the game, but he took the wrong option too often. David Templeton contributed little, but still did more than Rudi Skacel, whose second spell as a Hearts player now seems doomed to peter out in undistinguished fashion.

Holding midfielder Jonsson was a bit more solid, and further upfield Scott Robinson was Hearts’ best player. Even so, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that Hearts would have fared a lot better had those two been replaced by Adrian Mrowiec and Ryan Stevenson, whose solidity and drive respectively would probably have been enough to subdue Ayr.

Stevenson, a former Ayr player, was very keen to play and, as ever, would have shown an exemplary attitude. He has thrived since moving to Tynecastle, thanks in large part to his modest, hard-working approach, and along with full-back-cum-midfielder Jamie Hamill has been his team’s best performer this season.

While the club’s big squad can be of use to Sergio, he needs to recognise that the players are not interchangeable, and that he does have a best starting 11, to which only Danny Grainger, Marius Zaliukas and possibly Jonsson, of those who began the game on Wednesday, belong.

The loss to Ayr extended the dismal record in cup competitions which Hearts have suffered since they won the Scottish Cup in 2006. During that time, the furthest they have got in either competition was the semi-final defeat by St Mirren just after Jim Jefferies took over as manager at the start of last year.

Indeed, while they won the senior cup five years ago and in 1998, Hearts have had a signal lack of success in the League Cup since they last won it 49 years ago in 1962 – the fourth time they had lifted the trophy in a nine-year spell. They were also runners-up in 1961, a position they have only claimed once since – in 1996, when they lost to Rangers.

Even though club owner Vladimir Romanov has told Sergio his aim should be to win the league, the two cups are more realistic targets as they are for all the clubs outwith the Old Firm. At a time when they have regularly been the third best team in the SPL, Hearts’ feckless performance in both cup tournaments has to be regarded as a serious under-achievement which must be rectified as soon as possible.