In the span of one week, Hearts forward Claudio Braga went from having to endure the "weekend from hell" to being the driving force behind his team's comeback from a 3-0 deficit at a boisterous Tynecastle.
After entering the game at halftime against Motherwell on Saturday, Braga scored twice, assisted on another, and generally motivated his struggling team.
However, he missed the key penalty that meant Hearts lost the League Cup to St Mirren.
"He can be that talisman for us when he's playing in that sort of free-flowing vein with confidence oozing from him," stated Derek McInnes, the head coach of the Hearts. In light of this, why has McInnes not started Braga in the previous two Hearts games?
Braga stakes claim "Maverick"
When asked the question following the 3–3 draw, McInnes had a straightforward response, stating that he chose James Wilson because of his ability to run in behind and stretch Motherwell.
He clarified that Braga shares first-choice striker Lawrence Shankland's tendency to drift off the front line.
"Claudio goes too deep sometimes," McInnes said to BBC Scotland.
"We used two wide players and two strikers against their back four in an attempt to score four in their last line.
"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."
The Hearts head coach gave an honest and perceptive response, and supporters might understand the reasoning behind it.
However, Braga's success as a replacement and his overall output this season make the case for his starting position increasingly compelling.
Despite just playing the second half on Saturday, he finished with six shots, which is more than any player has had in a Premiership game this season. Two of those goals were well-taken.
After a spectacular run in behind to take advantage of Motherwell's high line, the first player drove past Paul McGinn and smashed the ball home from a close angle.
When Harry Milne's shot was saved, the second one reacted out of sheer instinct.
Braga also left certain goals up in the air. Calum Ward stopped him once when he was through on goal and once more in stoppage time when the Motherwell goalie pushed his attempt against a post.
Additionally, the Portuguese had a header from a corner that he ought to have buried. Braga would be seriously harmed by the suggestion that he just contributed energy from the bench. However, that was the beginning.
His touch map below demonstrates how he appeared everywhere while harassing Motherwell.
His ability to take defenders on and get a strike away led to the opening goal of the comeback, and he had the second-most dribbles for Hearts.
"The message got from the coach and from everybody - even the players - is to come in with energy," Braga stated to BBC Scotland. "I think that's one of my best attributes, so I tried to come in with energy."
We could have done more, but it was a draw. There is no doubt that we could do more. We demonstrated that in forty-five minutes.
Braga is already a fan favourite at Tynecastle because of his ability and his resolute approach. After five goals in eight games, he will undoubtedly start against Livingston the following week.
According to former Hearts head coach Steven Naismith, "Braga is a bit of a maverick - he's not scared to take it under pressure or when the team is 3-0 down," as reported by Sportscene.
"He has a forward instinct by nature, even though he's a maverick who occasionally drops the shoulder or makes a Cruyff spin.
He is constantly in the vicinity of the box, and he moves on the second ball as soon as he notices a shot being made.
He possesses a strong goal-scoring instinct and the spark to take out opposing players.
Braga's piece in the Hearts puzzle With the aid of Jamestown Analytics, run by Tony Bloom, Hearts has signed 13 players this summer.
As he determines his ideal squad and configuration for the start of the season, McInnes is struggling with a number of questions, including whether Braga should start.
He changed to a 4-4-2 for this game, but Motherwell dominated and he had to make another personnel change early on. McInnes has substituted seven players at halftime in Hearts' last three games, indicating that the starting lineup has not clicked.
The head coach of the Hearts remarked, "Maybe I just need to start picking the right team for the start rather than having to turn my bench," Michael Steinwender was forced into the position because there was no natural right-back available due to Christian Borchgrevink's injury, and they might try to sign someone before the transfer window closes.
Michael Stewart, a former midfielder for Hearts, stated on Sportsound, "I'm not sure about Borchgrevink anyway, that's he's good enough,"
"To give them the balance to play the back four, they are in dire need of a right-back. To feed these wide men, they must have better quality food in the centre of the park.
"The manager is still clearly trying to find his best team." Even though Braga is merely a piece of the larger puzzle at Hearts, he has done everything in his power to guarantee a spot in McInnes' starting lineup against Livingston the following week.
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