Is Hearts' bubble bursting without Baningime?

Two games for Hearts without Beni Baningime. One point from a possible six.

While some have suggested Hearts' bubble has already burst - perhaps because it was at this stage last season when Aberdeen's house of cards started to collapse - it is still too early to say.

What is indisputable, though, is how keenly Derek McInnes has missed his midfield lynchpin.

The 27-year-old is expected back in mid-December and not a moment too soon for Hearts. Without him, they struggled to a 2-2 draw with Dundee United before suffering their first league defeat of the season at Aberdeen.

What is that Baningime brings to this Hearts side?

Statistically, the former Everton youngster is having one of his best seasons in maroon. In a couple of areas, he is the best at Hearts bar one - midfield partner Cammy Devlin.

At 3.7 tackles and 5.17 possession turnovers per game, it is only Devlin who strides ahead of Baningime.

In the defensive third, Baningime wins the ball back more than any other player while in the middle third, only Devlin and Lawrence Shankland beat him.

He also tops the passing accuracy with an impressive 89%, while his long ball accuracy percentage is one of the best in the league. His 74% of duels won is a league best, and his number of tackles is similarly high.

So far, it has been summer signing Tomas Magnusson that has been asked to replace Baningime. He is yet to set the heather alight in his deputising stint.

His pass accuracy against Aberdeen was a low 72% and won a little over half of his duels, but did offer more offensively than Baningime might.

Against Dundee United, the first game without Baningime, Magnusson only made one tackle, won just over a third of his duels, and again ranked poorly among his team-mates for pass accuracy.

What of all this means is Hearts do not have a ready-made replacement for Baningime. Magnusson looks like a different type of player, who is still adjusting to what is being asked of him.

Add the loss of Baningime to the absence of Craig Halkett and Lawrence Shankland, and the slight dip in form of key creators Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis, and perhaps it is no surprise Hearts were beaten at Pittodrie.