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‘There’s going to be a belt in the mouth around the corner.’ Hearts boss Derek McInnes first uttered those words back in August on the eve of his new side’s Premiership opener against Aberdeen.
The phrase was then repeated in mid-October following an excellent 3-0 win over his former club Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
It’s taken far longer than anyone could have possibly predicted, but he’s finally been proven right.
Hearts’ 1-0 defeat at Pittodrie last Sunday saw their unbeaten start to the league campaign come to a halt.
Granted, they weren’t at their best, but it was by no means a poor performance. It was just one of those days when things didn’t quite fall their way. It happens to the best of teams.
The thing which sets the top sides apart from the rest, as we know, is their ability to respond to setbacks. Celtic have done it countless times in recent years. Rangers’ biggest problem has been their failure to do so.
Derek McInnes hopes his players will bounce back from last week's loss against Aberdeen
Alexandros Kyziridis was one of several Jambos to endure an off day up at Pittodrie
How Hearts react this afternoon away at Motherwell will go a long way to letting everyone know whether they can truly be taken seriously in this fascinating championship battle.
This time last season, Aberdeen found themselves in a similar position. Their title challenge fell apart in quite catastrophic style following a loss at St Mirren.
That kicked off a horrendous run of form which would have likely seen manager Jimmy Thelin lose his job were it not for a historic Scottish Cup triumph in May.
Now, no matter what happens over the coming months, McInnes is going nowhere. But he must ensure there is no repeat of Aberdeen’s past mistakes.
The Dons’ predictability turned out to be their downfall, both in terms of tactics and team selection. Plan B — from the outside looking in — was non-existent.
McInnes, at least, has plenty of options if he wants to shake things up a bit.
Indeed, he began the season playing a 3-5-2 before switching to a back four. He has the personnel to play both systems.
And as they’ve demonstrated already, versatility isn’t an issue either. They’re capable of playing free-flowing football, while going direct has served them well against the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Hibernian.
Livewire midfielder Cammy Devlin will be key if Hearts are to stay in the Premiership title race
The individual quality McInnes has at his disposal isn’t up for debate.
Craig Halkett — who missed last week’s match through suspension — and Stuart Findlay have been the standout defensive partnership in the league, while Alexander Schwolow has been a safe pair of hands behind them in goal. It’s hard to recall the German making an error.
Cammy Devlin in midfield may not grab the headlines, but he has arguably been the best player in Scotland this season.
The Australian is getting better with each passing week, and the fact he was handed the captain’s armband last time out in Lawrence Shankland’s absence highlights exactly what the manager thinks of him.
Up front, the attacking trio of Shankland, Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis would get into any starting XI in the country, so no concerns there.
However, it will be the character of these players, as much as their quality, that will now come under the microscope ahead of a busy run of fixtures over the festive period.
Hearts host Killie on Wednesday evening before travelling to Celtic on Sunday. Falkirk, Rangers and Hibs are all still to come before the year is out.
Everyone in the squad will need to play a part. The loss of Beni Baningime in particular has hit the side hard in recent weeks, with Tomas Magnusson not quite in the same mould as the combative midfielder. The sooner the Congolese returns the better.
Lawrence Shankland will return for this weekend's trip to Motherwell following an injury
The likes of Pierre Landry Kabore — who offers something different in the final third — will also be called upon to step up, while defender Frankie Kent is back in the fold after missing several months through injury.
Last week’s defeat may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Jambos. There were small signs the pressure was starting to build of late, having drawn two of their previous three before heading to the Granite City.
With no unbeaten record to preserve, the players may well be able to relax a little and rediscover the kind of form which has got them into this position in the first place. That will be the hope, anyway.
It could have been very different had Motherwell managed to take maximum points off their opponents at Tynecastle in August.
Jens Berthel Askou’s side tore their hosts to pieces for the best part of an hour to race into a 3-0 lead in Edinburgh, before Hearts fought back to earn a share of the spoils. What was that about character?
The Steelmen have dropped just two points in their last five top-flight outings, and were mightily impressive in their victory over Hibernian midweek. To be honest, 2-0 flattered the Easter Road side.
The lack of cutting edge which perhaps held them back early on in Askou’s tenure has been addressed, with Tawanda Maswanhise now the Premiership’s top scorer on eight after getting on the scoresheet once again on Tuesday.
There will no doubt be a few suitors snooping around come January if he can keep this up.
His side will move to within six points of the league leaders should they record another win at Fir Park this weekend.
But if Hearts are indeed the real deal, they simply can’t allow that to happen.
