Naismith explains belief in Hearts 'rotate and change'

The Hearts head coach has not named the same XI in back-to-back matches this season, averaging three changes per game. Some of that has been down to injuries but Naismith has spoken openly about the start of the campaign and the toll competing in European football can take.

He offered further insight into the thinking behind making changes from game to game, especially in the forward areas, depending on the opponent and what the fixture will entail, and explained why he is "the opposite" of wanting to name the same team from one week to the next.

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“Each game is different," he said. "To start with, for the players it’s tough because someone could play well then not start the next game. I wouldn’t have liked that as a player. But the game is changing and I believe that especially in the forward areas, if you give up so much in terms of sharpness, sharp movements being the difference of beating a man or not, going game, game, game, especially three in a week, that tapers off and you end up not beating your man.

“So that sharpness is so important. I learned that as a player and managed to deal with it. That’s where you see it, you see more change in forward areas. But each game is different.

"We go about changing our tactics to play Kilmarnock at Kilmarnock. It went against a lot of my perfect way of playing. But you have to do it, you have to do it in Scottish football and that impacts who you play and who you have on the bench because there is no point in filling your bench with people who you are going to put on the pitch and it is going to compromise what you need to do that day.

“I do believe you have to rotate and change.”

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With key players having returned from injury, Naismith feels the "squad is in a good place and we can make that rotation". In addition, the more the squad becomes accustomed to the rotation aspect the more they understand the frustration of it.

"There’s more understanding that there’s another game in three days and I might be involved in that," he said. "It’s a combination of them all that makes a difference."