Hearts set 'energy' target as international break provides fuel to tackle relentless schedule head-on
The Hearts boss has been talking settling in Edinburgh amid the international break.
Wouter Vrancken insists Hearts are set to come back from the international break with renewed energy after getting work he couldn’t deploy in pre-season into Jambos stars.
A clutch of the club’s playing staff are off on international duty with their nations but those remaining throughout the break have had volume training on the agenda. Vrancken started life as Hearts head coach with a shortened pre season before going straight into European qualifiers and domestic matches.
An extended three week without competitive matches has allowed him to bed in some of the fundamentals he sought to in the summer before matchday preparation became the primary focus. Vrancken says extra training time and a rest will see Hearts return to their October 10 match against St Mirren in an energetic state of mind.
What are Hearts doing during the international break?
He told the Evening News: “We're going to go and train on volume. So we're going to give them extra the first days because we couldn't do it at the beginning of the season like I wanted to because of the short preparation.
“So we're going to give something more now and then we give them a few days off because of fatigue in the legs then so that they can recover from this. So after these few days off that we can come back with renewed energy and going to work towards the other games.
"Normally it's like every month, one weekend off actually because of the international breaks but now it's coming together and maybe sometimes it's better like this so you can see it as a mini preparation. So yeah, we'll see. For myself, I'll go back home for a few days so also there it's happy to see family and friends then so we can all come back with renewed energy and going in a good mini preparation. "
Amid the busy start to life at work, Vrancken had also had to adapt off the pitch to a new country, with his wife and son alongside him in Edinburgh. Vrancken’s son has started school in Scotland and the Belgian has been left happy with how he and family have got to grips with life away from their homeland.
He explained: “At this moment, my wife and son are here. So he's going to school here in Scotland and in Edinburgh so yeah, we're settling in well and we like it here but like in this moment, it's also good because I have two daughters still in Belgium so it'll be nice to see them again properly. At the beginning, of course, I was here alone but now my son had to go to school here in August, they start a little bit earlier than in Belgium.
Wouter Vrancken on life at Hearts
“He's settling in well and I think for us, it was very important, of course, to settle in, seeing how he felt and he’s made a lot of friends. So I am happy to see this. We are happy in Edinburgh. We like the city, we like the people in the club help us very much and very well so yeah, settling in well."
There were initial teething issues as Vrancken implemented an attack-heavy playing style that was a shift from predecessor Derek McInnes’ more pragmatic approach. Losing to Falkirk and drawing against Kilmarnock prior to the break proved disappointing but it has been an overall positive start. The team are third in the league, into a Premier Sports Cup semi-final versus Hibs, and league phase football in the Conference League is booked. Some issues in the draw with Killie though outlines the continued need for improvement.
Vrancken added: “It's always difficult to say how far you get and which time and stuff like that. I'm just happy with the guys, how they work, how they want to progress themselves, how they want to develop and you see it in the games, you see it for sure. Also at Kilmarnock, I think from the goal we get against until the half-time or just before half-time we lost a little bit of quality because of lack of responsibility for me but then we dominated the game. You created a lot of chances and it's just a pity and a shame that you don't score more than two goals, because you had to."
With family and work life going well, Vrancken leads Hearts into a mammoth run of games in a positive frame of mind. It’ll stand him in good stead, as after the return against the Buddies, come fixtures against Rangers, Celtic, Hibs and Trabzonspor, to name a few. It’ll be a major test of where his Hearts side are at.
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