Hearts' strong message as they seek a European tonic in Switzerland
Midfielder Laurent Mendy explained the squad’s mindset
“It's hard to take, especially because it was them. We beat them before, so we had the belief that we could do it again. It wasn't our day, it was theirs. We just have to suck it up and focus on the game on Thursday.” Laurent Mendy knows any kind of result for Hearts in Switzerland against FC Thun would be a huge tonic following the devastation of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final defeat by Hibs.
Even three points against the Swiss champions would not entirely erase the weekend hurt, but there is a requirement for defiance from the Edinburgh club. Yes, injuries are out of control. Yes, an entire outfield team is sidelined. Yes, you are now at the point of wondering who will be next to drop. However, Thursday night is a massive opportunity for Hearts in the context of their European campaign. Victory, or even a point, could go a long way towards helping the club reach the UEFA Conference League knockout stage.
Head coach Wouter Vrancken will assemble a makeshift team, who will be underdogs before a ball is kicked because of their fitness issues. There needs to be an element of defiance if Hearts are to gain anything from this tie. “Now we just have to believe in the players that haven't played, that are probably going to step up now,” explained Laurent Mendy, the club’s only fit and available central midfielder. “We just have to stay strong together and believe in each other. Whoever's going to play, whoever's going to be in a starting XI, can do it for the team. I strongly believe that.
“In every game, regardless of if it is a European game or a league game, you always have to go with the belief that you're going to win. That's the mindset that we're going to go with. We're going to go there and we're going to perform the way we've been performing.” Thun overhauled a 4-1 deficit with 20 minutes remaining to win 5-4 at Lausanne on Sunday. “That's going to give them confidence, but we don't fear anyone that we play,” insisted Mendy. “We just go, turn up and do what we do best and stay true to our identity.”
It is a strong message and one his colleagues must heed. Sunday’s hurt will linger for some time but it cannot be allowed to undermine Hearts in Thun. Fans will demand a reaction. “It's not just them, it's us as well,” said Mendy. “I think everyone that supports Hearts, who is at Hearts, the staff, the players, everyone's going to take it a bit badly that we lost on Sunday. But we have to remember that it's a long season and good things can happen. That's what we're going to look to do to bounce back from it.”
Hearts delivered a strong second-half performance at Hampden without being able to cancel out Hibs’ 2-1 lead. The first-half, in which Tomas Magnusson and Calvin Miller became their latest injury victims, proved costly for the Tynecastle club. Vrancken demanded more aggression and energy for a second-half onslaught which ultimately proved fruitless.
“Yeah, I feel like we tried to do that in the first half, but they were getting away with it,” admitted Mendy. “They kind of sussed us out and had a bit more bodies in the middle. That's how I feel like they were getting out. But in the second half, we struck back and we just went for it. We were 2-1 down. I was like: ‘You know boys, let's just go and get it.’”
Whoever is deployed alongside the Frenchman in central midfield in Thun’s Visana Stadion will be a different partner. Whether it’s Jordi Altena shunted forward from right-back, or Sabri Guendouz asked to play deeper than usual, Mendy will be the player asked to anchor the central area. He was playing in England’s fifth tier just a few months ago with Forest Green Rovers, so it is a considerable step up in levels to the Conference League.
He explained that communication will be key between whichever midfielder Hearts select. “We work out our training, obviously. I don't just have to, obviously, we both have to talk to each other and stuff, but it's not just me telling them what to do,” said Mendy. “They can also tell me what to do at times. It's a partnership. Whoever I'm playing with, regardless if they've played a lot or not, we work out training and try to do our match there.”