Hearts No.1 stance made clear as Wouter Vrancken tells some players to step up
Belgian coach makes his feelings clear in Kirkcaldy
Some Hearts players must produce more to remain in head coach Wouter Vrancken’s plans this season following Friday night’s friendly win at Raith Rovers. The Tynecastle head coach is now one month into his new job and is still assessing his large first-team squad. After the 1-0 win in Kirkcaldy, he stressed that he needs more from a few individuals.
Rogers Mato’s 87th-minute goal won the game for Hearts after Raith kept them at bay for much of the evening. Vrancken’s reaction afterwards was fair but firm as he prepares for Tuesday’s Champions League qualifying return leg against Sturm Graz. Hearts are 4-0 down from the first leg in Austria and face a gargantuan task to overhaul the scoreline and progress to the third qualifying round.
“Nothing much to say. I think the minutes are important for some of the guys. I think when you see the game, it's also clear why you make some decisions,” said Vrancken. “Some guys have to step up and show themselves more. We got the win, but we had to do more in possession, be more dominant, be clearer, show full confidence and have the guts to play. There was a lot of doubt for me. Doubt is the worst enemy, like I always say.”
French midfielder Sabri Guendouz was one Hearts player who stood out on the night. He will have a strong chance of playing from the start against Sturm at Tynecastle this week. Vrancken admitted he is still forming opinions on others and deciding who he can trust in big matches.
“Yes, especially at the level where we are now. I don't want to kill players or make a decision now for the whole season,” he explained. “Some guys have to step up if they want to battle and be competitive for a starting place.”
Dutch goalkeeper Beau Reus played the second half against Raith in what was his first outing for Hearts. He was signed with Alexander Schwolow due to move back to Germany after Tuesday’s game with Sturm. Vrancken knows Reus from recent years in Belgium, where he played with Beveren. The manager expects Reus to be Hearts’ first-choice goalkeeper going forward. He
“Let's hope. We don't want to bring players in with less quality than we already have,” said Vrancken. “We try to make them competitive. When Alex goes, for example, it has to be somebody who is competitive with Alex and at the level of Alex. I think Beau can do that. He showed some good things, I think, both with his feet and with a few saves. I'm confident that we have a good goalkeeper in him.”