One of the main criticisms thrown at Heart of Midlothian manager Steven Naismith at this early stage of the season has been his use of squad rotation.

From making eight changes ahead of the League Cup defeat to Falkirk to switching between a back four and a back three most weeks, the Hearts boss has left some low-hanging fruit for pundits and fans alike to get their teeth into.

Some of it has been justified and some of it has been way over the top.

Firstly, let’s deal with the very principle of rotation. It is a common and essential component of the modern game, but its effects on results are almost impossible to tell given the number of other variables at play.

What cannot be denied is the effect on fitness. When the schedule demands it, managing players’ minutes is key.

It is not wise to play the same starting XI for three games in a week. The drop off in fitness is drastic in that third game, while the risk of injury increases – and just as dramatically.

Add in travel, sometimes across Europe, as well as international breaks for some players, which disrupts recovery and interferes with preparation, and it becomes an unavoidable aspect of the game.

Crunching the numbers

Going by the seven matches so far, Naismith has made an average of 3.7 changes per game. Only two Hearts players have played more than 300 minutes in the league this season – the lowest number of players to do so for a team the Premiership. 

As always, numbers alone do not paint the full picture. For example, take the double-header versus Viktoria Plzen that sandwiched the Motherwell defeat. Naismith made an average of 4.5 changes for the three starting XIs. But take out the trip to Fir Park and there was one change – which was enforced – in that Europa League play-off.

Five changes were made to the line-up for the first leg against Plzen, but that came after eight changes were made days before for the League Cup defeat at Falkirk.

Whether it was prudent to make those changes in a tournament Hearts have such a feeble record in is a whole other debate, but it is not uncommon to make wholesale changes in such ties. Sides of all strengths do so in lesser competitions on both sides of the UK border.

It seems unfair, therefore, to criticise squad rotation when faced with three matches in a week, including high-intensity matches on the European stage.

There was also only one change between the opening-day draw against Rangers and the defeat a week later at Dens Park. It is the only time this season that Hearts have had a week between games followed by another free midweek.

We are entering a similar period now, though – speaking to Hearts Standard – the manager looks set to continue to pick on merit weekly while also tailoring his side to minimise the strengths and exploit the opposition’s weaknesses.

Naismith said: "The schedule for the next three weeks is one game a week. A lot will be determined by how well each individual player does. And also, when you look at each game, and what is needed.

“The game against Celtic is going to be different from St Mirren and Ross County. Aberdeen is going to be different to that. The European games are going to be different.

"For the next three or so weeks, I think it will mainly be down to how the players perform and who is doing well, who is looking confident and who can fit into the shape best."

The Hearts boss takes confidence from naming the same starting line-up for consecutive matches just once last season, ultimately to great effect.

Regardless, given the pressure he is under, decisions like playing Stephen Kingsley at right-back – when he is often reluctant to let the ball come on to his right foot – will continue to frustrate fans if results don’t follow. Especially given the investment in the squad.

By Naismith’s own admission, new recruits like Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda are still adjusting to the increased demands set at Tynecastle. But that cannot be helped by being in and out of the team and in a different position each time.

Is formation fundamental?

Another bone of contention with Naismith’s approach for some is his constant switching between a back three and a back four formation.

This season he has gone between the two from game to game, except for the three matches across two legs against Plzen and defeat at Fir Park.

Naismith aspires for Hearts to be a side that has a set shape but said there is work to do before it can be realised.

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He also doesn’t see the switches in formation as the reason for the Jambos’ poor start to the season. Sentiments echoed after recent defeats by defenders Kye Rowles and Frankie Kent.

"It's not something that I've come away from a game thinking, 'That killed us today',” said Naismith.

"It's the moments within the games that have made the challenge harder. The goals that we've conceded. If you look at the goals against Motherwell, there's an individual error and then Andres Salazar and Gerald Taylor drop early from a set play.

“So, no matter what formation you play, all of those goals should be avoidable, no matter what system you are playing.

"We did it last season and it won us games, got us good results in games, it got us control in games. I would like us to get to the point where we have a formation we can stick with mainly. But I think we've got work to do to get to that point.

"Because the results haven't been great, it will be an area that will be highlighted. But, last season we changed it and got success from both systems at certain times."

Naismith will be hoping for a repeat after a sluggish start last season.

An extra couple weeks on the training pitch over the international break should have helped the squad to reset.

Things do not get any easier, however, with unbeaten Scottish Premiership pace-setters Celtic up next in Glasgow on Saturday.