Hearts star names the Swansea City similarities he sees at Tynecastle + his Europa Conference League ambition
The summer recruit draws parallels from Swansea City when it comes to Hearts.
He has ambition to play on the biggest stage - and Yan Dhanda can’t wait for that chance at Hearts when it comes to continental football.
The club are in the midst of a poor run of form and the games don’t get much easier when going to Celtic on Premiership business after the international break. Steven Naismith’s side have Europa Conference League fixtures to look forward to in the autumn and winter, including matches against the likes of Copenhagen, Cercle Brugge and Bundesliga high-flyers Heidenheim.
Defeat in the Europa League play-off against Viktoria Plzen was hard to stomach, as the summer recruit from Ross County feels as if Hearts had enough to get through the two-legged affair. But that shouldn’t take the shine off what is to come in the Conference League.
Speaking after the Plzen match, Dhanda told the Edinburgh Evening News: “We wanted to win the game over the two games but we haven’t. We still have the Conference League which a lot of people want to play in and not a lot of people have the opportunity to play in, so I am grateful we still have that. Right after the game, we’re disappointed not to get into the Europa League because we felt we had enough to win the game over the two legs.
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“We have to stick together. We did have enough to win over the two games but they were probably the better team and took their chances. We haven’t so we need to stay positive. The lads did so well to get third last season and put us in this position. Their work last year is still rewarding us with the Europa Conference League.
“It’s credit to the lads last season and players like me get the chance. When you look at our games, we have conceded some bad goals we need to fix. Then we need to better in the final third with taking chances and creating even more chances.”
A member of Dhanda’s family was in the stands to watch him take to the pitch on a sold-out European night under the lights at Tynecastle, his grandfather. He knows these are the games he will look back on when his career is done and dusted many years from now, so he’s keen to relish them.
Dhanda explained: “I know how good the fans are here and I know they get right behind their team and they love their club. That is what a football club should be about and that is why I wanted to come here as I know how good the fans are. My uncle and grandad are two of them so I know how much it means and every time I play here I feel I have them behind us.
“My grandad was there against Viktoria Plzen. Not many people in football get to play in these competition and we have the Conference League to look forward to. We have to look forward to it and in a few years time you will be thinking about these games wishing you could do it all over again, so I am really excited. I am someone who wants to play in the biggest games so I am looking forward to it.”
While it’s a change in play from time at Ross County, Dhanda sees plenty of similarities in Hearts when comparing them to one of his other clubs of the past, Swansea City. Getting back into the flow of possession-based football with high demands is something Dhanda is getting acclimatised to again.
He added: “It’s good, I am getting used to the system and the gaffer is easing me in. I have enjoyed it, I am playing in a team that likes to dominate possession. We all need to be better than we have in the past few games and stop conceding sloppy goals, and be more clinical in the final third, myself included.
“I am learning and feel like I am getting better. I just want to keep playing and showing what I can do. At Swansea City you get really good fans, played possession football, the demand are high and the Championship is a very good league. I am used to playing in possession-based teams in front of big crowds, and very good fans.
“I think this is similar to Swansea, we try to play a good style of football so I am used to it. County was a bit different for me as you don’t have as much possession but I feel I am getting back into the rhythm of having a lot of possession and what positions to pick up similar to when I was at Swansea.”