This is how it feels (Molde 090818)
Tonight was the beginning of Hibs without John McGinn and I confess that I went to the game worried about how we might fill the gap left by him. John was an exceptional player for Hibs and I’m confident he’ll become equally as important to Aston Villa.
Ahead of the game I wondered who might be in the starting eleven and Lenny decided that his midfield centre would be filled by Slivka, Bartley and Mallan. Other than Laidlaw replacing the injured Bogdan the rest of the side more or less picked itself with Porteous in the centre of the back three. Not really knowing much about Molde, I hoped that Hibs would give a good account of themselves and it’s fair to say they did just that and on another night, might have had a two or three goal advantage to take into the second leg but it was not to be with the game finishing at 0-0.
Hibs started brightly and both Slivka and Mallan had half chances before the visitors settled into a very compact and neat formation. They were confident in possession and their insistence on playing out from the back, coupled with their short passing game meant the Hibs players had to be on their guard at all times.
From early on it became obvious that Boyler’s pace was a worry to them and on one occasion squirrel dashed past his man, got to the byeline and hammered a cross into the six yard box but Kamberi couldn’t quite get to the ball and it fizzed past him. Next, Mallan brought out a fabulous save from Linde as his shot looked destined for the top corner before the keeper finger tipped it onto the bar.
The visitors seemed to enjoy keeping possession and making Hibs work to win the ball back and at times that proved a difficult thing to do but Hibs stuck at it and another pile driver from Mallan saw Linde beat the ball away from above his head. I couldn’t help but think that the ferocity of the shot would have beaten Linde had it been either side of him.
At the other end a timely interception by Paul Hanlon stopped the lively Chima from getting a shot away. Both Paul and Ryan were up against strong and aggressive strikers but for the most part they held fast and when one of the strikers did get the better of them, Efe and Lewis tucked in to good effect to clear the danger. Chima was quite a handful but seemed to have only one ‘trick’ in his book in that he liked to take the ball in to feet with his back to goal and then try and turn his marker. Early in the game, Ryan in particular seemed unsure how to deal with that but he’s a quick learner and Chima was eventually substituted.
The visitors enjoyed their best spell in the first ten minutes of the second half but they offered no real penetration and indeed Ross Laidlaw didn’t have one single shot to save in the whole ninety minutes. A lot of that was due to good defending but an amount of it was attributable to Molde seeming to enjoy passing square passes across the 18 yard box without ever really breaking through into a dangerous area.
Once Hibs re-established control of possession the home fans roared them on as they pushed forward looking for the opener. A brilliant through ball by Slivka saw Boyle cleverly prod the ball towards goal but unfortunately it went just wide with Linde completely flat footed on his line. Another effort by Boyle, following Kamberi’s knock down was hit with force but struck a defender and went out for a corner. Then, David Gray got in on the act, meeting a Mallan corner flush on the forehead but Linde somehow got down to divert the ball onto the post and back into his arms. With time rapidly running out, a Boyle shot was pushed out by Linde and substitute Emerson Hyndman threw himself at it but watched his header slide agonisingly wide.
Hibs didn’t manage to score but they created good chances while Molde seemed toothless in front of goal without their star man Haaland in the line-up. In a week’s time we’ll need to take at least one of those chances and hope that Haaland, who’s now signed for Salzburg but has been loaned back to Molde, doesn’t sign off with a goal or two of his own.
The players
Ross Laidlaw – The big fella was a virtual spectator at times as Molde stroked the ball around but failed to get even one shot on target.
Efe – I thought Efe was excellent tonight and yes he had a couple of ‘nearly’ Efe moments but his general play was first class.
Ryan – Once he got to grips with Chima he was magnificent for such a young lad and Lenny must be delighted with that performance.
Paul – A few dodgy moments in terms of passes going astray but also a few timely interceptions made possible by his excellent reading of the game.
SDG – The captain who keeps on giving so very nearly got another goal against a team in blue! Was up and down that line like a youngster and it was nice to see Ole Gunner-Solskjaer chatting to him at the final whistle. The Norwegian was, of course, at Manchester United when David was there as a youngster.
Slivka – I thought he had a good first half and though he visibly tired in the second he never stopped closing down Molde players or prompting team mates to go forward.
Marv – Heard his song numerous times tonight and he deserved the adulation. He was fantastic in the engine room and laid to waste my theory that he only delivers in every other game. So impressed was I that I’ve made him my man of the match.
Stevie – The lad is still finding his feet and clearly needs a few more games under his belt to fully settle in but his overall play was good and he certainly made Linde work for his money tonight.
Lewis – The wee man was sparkling tonight with a number of excellent crosses into the box. When he went in for a 50/50 challenge in the second half you just knew he was never pulling out and the only way to stop him earned the Molde player a yellow card.
Boyler – Ran until he dropped; scared the life out of their defenders and became acquainted with every blade of grass in the process earning himself the sponsors man of the match.
Flo – The big guy doesn’t look 100% fit at the moment but it’s fair to say that with Boyler’s nonstop movement and willingness to chase back, Flo was often on his own against a couple of bulky centre-half’s. I’ll be surprised if he’s not rested on Sunday.
Oli – Got the last ten minutes or so and did well enough with the scraps on offer.
Emerson – Much the same as Oli and was unlucky not to get a debut goal with his late diving header.
Jamie – Only came on so that Boyler could get the acclaim of the crowd for his efforts. I expect to see him starting on Sunday.
Lenny – Sounded upbeat after the game and rightly so in my opinion.
The Ref – A bit fussy at times and infuriated some around me when he booked Ryan for a jersey pull but failed to book the Molde player who had chopped down Mallan in full flight. Clearly he felt pulling a jersey is far more dangerous that hacking an opponent down.
The fans – Hats off to every single Hibs fan tonight. I thought the atmosphere was great and I love the fact that it’s become the norm to cheer the lads on when the clock is running out.
