Saints must strike balance to arrest slump
St. Johnstone have made clear progress under Simo Valakari but their attacking efforts have been repeatedly undermined by a wayward defence. A glaring issue that must be addressed if they are to prevent a slow decline into relegation contention. Arriving on the 1st of October, Valakari’s immediate impact saw his side take six points from a possible nine. A marked increase from the club that had only managed four from twenty-one prior to his appointment. A defeat away to Rangers was arguably expected and it was followed by convincing wins over Ross County and Dundee. The hiring seemed to have given his players a new and finally positive outlook on football, with more possession than their opponents in every game bar the trip to Ibrox. A statistic that would have been unthinkable during Craig Levein’s tenure, who saw every ninety minutes as something to survive. However, the optimism since the Finn’s arrival has dampened slightly as the following three games produced no points. Flaws in the team’s make-up, namely at the back, have become all too obvious to fans. With difficult games against Kilmarnock (H), Rangers (H) and Aberdeen (A), those supporters will be wondering how to remedy such a strong imbalance in an otherwise promising squad. Attack dazzles as defence struggles Perhaps not even the most experienced mystiques could have predicted that the same team that mustered an abysmal 29 goals in 38 league games last season would find themselves with two goal scorers joint-top the charts. Yet in Nicky Clark and Benjamin Kimpioka, supported by Adama Sidibeh, Valakari has at his disposal an attacking trio with the fluency to turn Premiership defences inside out. The Saints are not wasteful with their chances either. Clark and Kimpioka’s goal conversion rates are 31% and 24% respectively, more than double those of Niklas Kuhn (14%) and Kyogo Furuhashi (10%). Whilst two of their last three goals have come from penalties, the opportunities from the spot are down in large parts to their application of pressure in the final third and Clark has shown an ice cold temperament from the spot Which is more than than can be said about the defensive half of the Saints’ set up. Fans of the Perth club can only dream of the challenge for the top half their side could launch if their defence had anywhere near the same promise their attacking ensemble has shown. Their twenty-seven goals conceded this season, including six at home to Celtic in September, make the Saints this season’s poorest defensive side. Statistics alone cannot tell the whole story however. The ease with which attacking players can ghost in to finish off crosses as Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise did at the weekend points to a lack of communication and spatial awareness in the St. Johnstone ranks. Worse yet was Beni Baningime making his way towards goal from just inside the opposition half before Kenneth Vargas’ finish, bearing a strong resemblance to playing a much younger sibling on FIFA. So what happened to the side that had the (not fantastic by any stretch) seventh best defensive record in the league last season? Struggles for Mitov’s heirs Craig Levein must have thanked his lucky stars to have had Dimitar Mitov at his disposable when he arrived in Perth. Having been picked up from Cambridge United in the summer, the Bulgarian was without a doubt the leading contributor in keeping his side out of the bottom two, making more saves than any other keeper and was named both Player and Players’ Player of the Year for his efforts. Unfortunately for all who voted for him, Mitov’s release clause was met by then fellow strugglers Aberdeen and he left without giving a new contract a moment’s thought. Just a few months on the keeper is part of a remarkable Dons squad, as his replacements between the sticks continue to flounder. Josh Rae was signed in June but was soon dropped by Levein after a shaky outing at Dundee United. Academy graduate Ross Sinclair was called into action it but has similarly failed to convince. Brought off at half time against Hearts because of a muscle injury, the former Scotland under 21s keeper does not seem to have done enough to have earned himself a starting place when he returns to the squad. If neither show signs of improvement in the coming months, there is a good chance Valakari will look to dip into the transfer market as he aims to turn marginal errors into points on the board. Close calls haunt Saints Whether it be bad luck or poor organisation, St. Johnstone have found themselves ruing what could have been had it not been for VAR. Kimpioka was twice denied in their 3-1 defeat to St Mirren, with both himself and Kyle Cameron deemed offside for the respective efforts. During last week’s defeat to Motherwell, Jack Sanders was also condemned by the monitor, his potential equaliser in the 91st minute ruled to have been scored using his arm. On the plus side, St. Johnstone are showing that they can create chances and are only a few marginal calls from getting something from games. Yet that might be of little comfort as the side prepare to welcome Kilmarnock and Rangers before travelling to Aberdeen for arguably the most difficult test of the three. What began as an auspicious start to Simo Valakari’s tenure at the club could soon turn sour if his side cannot find a balance between their attacking and defensive efforts.
