Andres Salazar has been conspicuous by his absence. The Colombian left-back was an exciting summer signing for Heart of Midlothian.

Arriving from one of the biggest clubs in his homeland, Atletico Nacional, with national team honours, there was plenty of hype and hope that he would become a key figure.

Yet, he has played just once.

James Penrice has made the left-back spot his own. The biggest credit you can give the former Livingston and Partick Thistle defender is that he has not only kept a Colombian international out the team but Alex Cochrane has not been missed since his summer move to Birmingham City.

For Salazar, he has played just once. His only appearance being the 2-1 defeat to Motherwell in August. On top of that he has only been named in the squad on four other occasions.

Neil Critchley was asked about his situation. 

"It's difficult," he admitted. "I say that to all the players. Unfortunately, I have to disappoint some players every week. That's not the nice side of the job or the hardest part of the job.

"Some players will like me because they're in the team. Some players will think I'm all right because they're in the squad, and some players will think I'm an idiot. That's just the nature of this industry.

"What we do is make sure that the players get our full respect. We train them properly, so if that opportunity does come along, then they're ready to play."

Critchley hasn't been afraid to make changes from one game to the next, something he confirmed he would be doing ahead of a hectic schedule to ensure energy levels are high.

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The Hearts head coach admitted it is "a collaborative effort" between his own view, opponents and sport science.

"We speak as a group," he said. "We meet every day as a staff and we speak about where everyone's at individually. Then you have to look at the opposition, the type of game it's going to be, who's needed. You might play the same formation, but you might play different players in that formation.

"Just by changing a player, the profile of that player brings a different dynamic to the team. A lot of thought and effort goes into how we prepare for the games and the team that we pick. Hopefully, more often than not, you get that right."