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Seven games. Six losses. One draw. Zero wins.
After finishing third last season, Hearts have had a miserable start to the season.
It was a brutal end that few saw coming, especially after they put in an impressive performance on the opening day of their draw against Rangers last month.
Since that first Premiership game, Hearts have suffered six consecutive defeats, during which they have been knocked out of the League Cup and Europa League qualification.
Heading into the first international break, Steven Naismith’s side sit penultimate in the standings with just one point from four league games.
So where did it go wrong?
In the upper echelons of the pitch, the goals have dried up considerably.
Both of Hearts’ goals in all competitions this season have come in the league – neither of which have come from talismanic striker Lawrence Shankland, who is yet to score after netting 31 times last season.
However, the team’s expected goals (xG) total of 4.1 across their first four league games shows that the chances were there for Naismith’s side to have at least double their current goal tally.
Georgia’s men also recorded 120 touches in the opposition box – the third highest total in the league – proving the team is getting into attacking areas.
Even though only 11 shots on target were achieved from those touches, underlying numbers like these can often suggest that the goals will eventually come, but there are also concerns to address defensively.
According to Opta, Hearts have committed two errors leading to goals conceded – the most in the league – while conceding seven on an xG ratio of 6.06.
Following the announcement of his contract extension last month, coupled with last season’s success, there is no knee-jerk reaction to the future of Naismith, who has demonstrated his abilities as a promising young coach.
But the above mentioned problems will need to be addressed quickly before they escalate into harmful trends.
