Glentoran v Linfield: How Linfield have made slightly understated return to prominence

A bit more subtle than striking and somewhat more efficient than earth-shattering.

With Larne fresh from winning their historic first-ever title, and Cliftonville and Glentoran making high-profile – and controversial – managerial appointments in Jim Magilton and Warren Feeney, the media spotlight has perhaps not been shining just as brightly on Windsor Park as it normally would.

Yes, there was the speculation earlier this month linking Healy with the manager’s job at Grimsby Town, but the Blues’ fine start to the 2023-24 campaign will have been a factor in that.

So, what of that impressive start? Well, compared to the same stage in 2022-23, Linfield at the minute are 10 points and four league victories better off.

After 17 matches last year they were sitting fifth, having scored 29 goals, while they are currently top of the league, two points ahead of second-placed Larne with a game in hand and with 44 in their ‘goals for’ column.

Healy’s men finished last season in second place, their title defence fading with barely a whimper. They lifted the League Cup but there was significant supporter frustration and questioning of tactics.

The manager will have known improvement was needed and, so far, he and his players are delivering. Ahead of their trip to the Oval on Friday night for a Big Two meeting with Glentoran, BBC Sport NI takes a look at some of the factors in the turnaround in Linfield’s fortunes.

Emphatic East shores up defence

Jimmy Callacher was a hugely-important component of Healy’s Linfield team that swept to five titles in six seasons but, having struggled with injuries in his final year at Windsor Park, he was released during the summer.

In Euan East, it looks like Healy has found a centre-half with the ability and stature to to fill the void left in a defence that was severely missing Callacher’s authority and presence.

Signed right at the end of the summer transfer window, the 23-year-old Scot arrived at Windsor Park with Queen’s Park, Albion Rovers and most recently Queen of the South already on his playing CV.

Often forming a centre-half partnership with Ben Hall when Healy deploys a back four, though also very capable of operating in a back three, East’s reading of the game and positional sense have brought solidity to the Linfield backline, while his distribution from defence has also become a key asset.

Six of Linfield’s seven clean sheets in the league have come when East has been in the team, meaning he has already become one of Linfield’s most astute and most effective signings in recent years.

McKee shines as Fitzpatrick adds focal point

Forays into the transfer market for strikers have proved to be something of an Achilles heel throughout Healy’s tenure, with there being a number of examples of players who have arrived at Windsor and not delivered the goals return required.

It made the signing of Matthew Fitzpatrick from Glenavon during the summer a crucial one, with the 28-year-old former Antrim GAA player making a first move into full-time football after an impressive couple of seasons leading the line for Glenavon.

Fitzpatrick’s introduction into the team was gradual at first and his return of four goals in 14 league appearances has not been earth-shattering – though three of those have come in the last three matches – but his presence has given the Blues a focal point at the top end of the pitch.

Fellow forward Chris McKee seems to have benefitted from forming a strike partnership with him, with the former Rangers player having enjoyed his best goalscoring run with the Blues, with his current tally sitting at eight goals in 15 outings.

McKee’s clever movement and runs in behind defences have flourished while playing alongside Fitzpatrick, who has served as a fine foil, and this has led to the Northern Ireland Under-21 international proving what a lot of fans had thought since he joined in 2022 – that he will score goals regularly when provided with the right service.

Cooper delivers wizardry on consistent basis

Joel Cooper is without question one of most naturally-gifted Irish League footballers of his generation. That much has been clear since he made his major breakthrough as a teenager at Glenavon eight years ago.

Taken by Michael O’Neill to train with the Northern Ireland squad during the Euro 2016 finals, the winger was snapped up by Linfield in 2018 and, two years and two league titles later, earned a move into full-time football with Oxford United.

The Ballyclare native never settled at the League One club, making just six appearances for them in a two-year spell that also included loan moves back to Linfield and then to Port Vale before returning to south Belfast permanently in 2022.

Almost always Linfield’s biggest attacking threat during his time at Windsor, with his dribbling skills and finishing ability setting him apart, Cooper’s highlights reel seems to have moved up to an even higher level again this season, with a few spectacular solo runs ending with sublime finishes.

Whether playing in a wide position, or more centrally in behind a striker or strikers, Cooper’s surging runs and creative passes have been a massive feature of Linfield’s attack. The 27-year-old is one of only three players to start every league match, along with Chris Shields and Chris Johns, and has seven goals and 11 assists to his name.

Players of Cooper’s ilk can sometimes blow hot and cold in terms of performances, but he seems to be enjoying the freedom Healy is offering him in this side and is certainly putting that freedom to good effect.

McClean becomes mainstay in strong midfield

It feels like Kyle McClean – and Stephen Fallon for that matter – have been on the cusp of becoming regular first-team choices in the centre of Linfield’s midfield for some time. Both have had long spells in the team, of course, but injuries have hindered their prospects at times.

While Fallon is still frustrated on the sidelines, that has certainly not been the case for McClean, with the 25-year-old former St Johnstone man having made 16 starts in a midfield that, because of some of the other additions Healy has made to his squad, is operating as a very strong, while also fluid, unit.

McClean’s tenacity, range of passing and willingness to get forward and score goals brings a dynamism to the Linfield midfield that has been complemented well by the authority and experience provided by Chris Shields, who himself has been a more consistent performer this season than last.

While McClean’s appearance count has been high, captain Jamie Mulgrew has made nine less starts than him in the league. Still a hugely influential figure around Windsor Park, and among the names being suggested as a possible replacement when Healy was linked to Grimsby, the form and fitness of McClean has perhaps made it easier for Healy to manage the load having to be carried by his captain.

Mulgrew has been one of the Irish League’s best midfielders of the last 20 years and is far from ready to pass the baton over to any younger pretenders just yet, but he will no doubt be benefiting from not playing every game, and instead being utilised when Healy sees fit.