'Maverick' Braga goes from 'hell' to heaven at Hearts

Hearts forward Claudio Braga went from enduring the "weekend from hell" to being the man who inspired his team's comeback from 3-0 down seven days later at a raucous Tynecastle.

Braga missed the crucial penalty which meant Hearts tumbled out of the League Cup at St Mirren last time out, but after coming on at half-time against Motherwell on Saturday he scored twice, was involved in another goal, and just generally inspired his ailing side.

"He can be that talisman for us when he's playing in that sort of free-flowing vein with confidence oozing from him," Hearts head coach Derek McInnes said.

So that said, why has McInnes not started Braga in either of Hearts' last two games?

'Maverick' Braga stakes claim

McInnes was asked the question about Braga's role in the team following the 3-3 draw, and he answered plainly, saying he chose James Wilson for his ability to run in behind and stretch Motherwell.

Braga, he explained, tends to drop off the front line in the same way as first-choice striker Lawrence Shankland.

"Sometimes Claudio comes too deep," McInnes told BBC Scotland. "We wanted to try and get four on their last line - we go with two wide players and two strikers against their back four.

"We want Claudio to run spaces more, play down the sides of people more, and some of his best performances for us - as it has been with a few of the foreign guys - has been that impact from the bench, when the game becomes a bit more stretched, and a bit more space afforded to him."

It was an insightful and honest answer from the Hearts head coach, one which fans may see the logic of.

But the nature of Braga's performance as a substitute, along with his general output this season, means the case for him to start is becoming impossible to ignore.

He only played the second half on Saturday but ended with six shots - more than any player has had in any full game in the Premiership this season.

Two of those were well taken goals - the first a brilliant run in behind to exploit Motherwell's high line, before driving beyond Paul McGinn and slamming the ball home from a tight angle.

The second was just pure instinct, reacting as Harry Milne's shot was saved.

Claudio Braga's touch map against Motherwell showed how involved he was in Hearts' comeback

Braga left a few goals out there, too. He was denied by Calum Ward when through on goal, and again in stoppage time as the Motherwell goalkeeper pushed his effort on to a post.

The Portuguese also had a header from a corner he should have buried. Suggesting he merely brought energy from the bench would do Braga a grave disservice.

But it was the starting point. He was constantly hassling Motherwell, and his touch map below shows he popped up everywhere.

He had the joint highest amount of dribbles for Hearts, and his ability to take defenders on and get a strike away lead to the first goal of the comeback.

"The message I got from the coach and from everybody - even the players - is to come in with energy," Braga told BBC Scotland. "I think that's one of my best attributes, so I tried to come in with energy.

"It was a draw, but I feel like we could do more. We definitely could do more. We proved that in 45 minutes."

It is that determined attitude, as well as his ability, which means Braga is already a fans' favourite at Tynecastle.

He will surely now start against Livingston next week after five goals in eight appearances.

"Braga is a bit of a maverick - he's not scared to take it under pressure or when the team is 3-0 down," former Hearts head coach Steven Naismith said on Sportscene.

"As much as he's a maverick and he'll drop the shoulder or do a Cruyff turn, he has the natural instinct of a forward.

"He is always around the box and as soon as he sees a shot going off, his movement is on the second ball. His natural instinct for goals is good and he has the spark to eliminate opposition players."

Braga part of Hearts puzzle

Helped by Tony Bloom's Jamestown Analytics, Hearts have recruited 13 players this summer.

Whether Braga should start or not is only one of the issues McInnes is grappling with, as he works out his best team and formation in this early part of the season.

He switched to a 4-4-2 for this match but was again forced to change personnel early in the match as Motherwell dominated.

Across Hearts' last three games, McInnes has made seven half-time substitutions, which suggests the starting side have not clicked.

"Maybe I just need to start picking the right team for the start rather than having to turn to my bench," the Hearts head coach joked.

The lack of a natural right-back with Christian Borchgrevink injured meant Michael Steinwender was shoehorned in, and it is an area they may look to add before the transfer window shuts.

"I'm not sure about Borchgrevink anyway, that's he's good enough," former Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart said on Sportsound.

"They desperately need a right-back to allow them to give them the balance to play the back four. They need to get greater quality in the middle of the park to feed these wide guys.

"The manager is still clearly trying to find his best team."

Braga may only be part of the wider puzzle at Hearts, but he has done all he can to make sure he is in McInnes' starting side next week against Livingston.