Exclusive: Nathaniel Atkinson sets Hearts a challenge to prove if they ‘really mean business’
Nathaniel Atkinson has spent enough time in Scotland to be familiar with the football scene. Even though Hearts have won eight straight games and are unbeaten in twelve, they still have a task ahead of them in third place in the Premiership, 14 points ahead of it. Atkinson has no problem with the fact that future games against Rangers, Hibs, and Celtic will be used as a benchmark to assess their development.
After returning from the Asian Cup in Qatar, the Australian international defender made two substitute appearances for Hearts. Before playing a significant role in the second goal of Saturday’s 2-0 league victory over Motherwell [click here to witness the celebrations], he gradually returned to club duties against Airdrie in the Scottish Cup.
If Atkinson does not return to Hearts’ starting lineup for their Saturday trip to Ibrox, it will come as a huge surprise. After that, there will be back-to-back games between Celtic and Hibs at Tynecastle Park. The results of all three games, which take place over the course of a taxing eight days, will significantly impact Steven Naismith’s team’s standing in relation to the top two teams in the nation.
We are improving as the games progress,” Atkinson remarked in an exclusive statement to the Edinburgh News. We’re starting to understand Naisy’s preferred style of play. He has been working for a while, and once you establish a reliable form, everything else becomes easy.
There are clearly three important games approaching.
Getting a couple more points clear of the rest of the field on Saturday was a good outcome. Now, we have three games left to demonstrate that we are a serious team and are headed in the right direction. That’s also what Naisy’s message has been.
“The derby and the two Old Firm games are arguably the biggest of the year. After participating in an international quarterfinal, these are the matches you hope to attend. This season, we’ve played well against Celtic and Hibs, so maybe we can continue. We’ll tackle it match by match as the games will come thick and fast.”
In these games, Hearts must also demonstrate their flexibility, a trait they have gotten rather good at as the season has progressed. The team is unfazed by switching between playing a back four, a three-man center defense, a front three, or three advanced midfielders in behind a striker. In the upcoming games, they will have to be quick on their feet.
“Every game will be different, we can show our strengths in different ways in different games,” Atkinson stated. “The performance on Saturday was really professional, but the next three games are very different. In derbies, form can occasionally be neglected in favor of winning the game.
“It will be an exciting football match between Celtic and Rangers. It will come down to who uses the ball the best, not just who is the strongest physically. You want to demonstrate in these games why we think we’re a strong passing team.”
With 12 games remaining, Hearts are currently 12 points behind league leaders Rangers and 11 behind Celtic. Since January 2022, when Atkinson traveled from Melbourne City to Edinburgh,
Most likely not. We’ve had a successful run accumulating points, victories, and outcomes both at home and away. In December, we defeated Celtic, which is no small feat. We also defeated Hibs. We want to address the fact that we were a little disappointing versus Rangers in the [League] Cup semifinal. Our form has no need of explanation. These days, we feel confident entering any game.”
While Atkinson and Kye Rowles of Tynecastle helped Australia advance to the Asian Cup quarterfinals, Dexter Lembikisa, a recent loan signing, took Atkinson’s right-back position at Hearts. Now that his mind is cleared after the competition, he is prepared to challenge for a starting spot at Ibrox.
“It shows how the team is building that we are getting stronger in every position,” said Atkinson. “While we were away, we observed not only Dexter but the entire team performing well. It all comes down to vying for those spots and keeping up the performance quality.
Returning is more of a mental process. After an international competition, you experience a mental collapse. That was a bittersweet finish, so a little mental cleaning was necessary. When we returned, Naisy offered us a few days off to let our minds to unwind and recharge. During the cup tie and again on Saturday, he gradually reintegrated us.”
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