Exclusive:Physical threat to Hearts in Thun - club reveal their UEFA Conference League points target
Wouter Vrancken wants to reach the knockout phase
Thursday’s visit to FC Thun is the first of four games which will define Hearts’ UEFA Conference League campaign. One point from the opening two ties against Nordsjaelland and Trabzonspor leaves the Edinburgh club needing results. The aim is to reach the competition’s knockout phase by finishing in the top 24, and Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is clear on what is required to get there.
Vrancken spoke exclusively to the Edinburgh News ahead of the club’s charter flight out of the Capital on Wednesday. He has studied Thun closely and likens their direct approach to that of Sturm Graz, who eliminated Hearts in July’s Champions League qualifier on a 6-0 aggregate. Thun are the Conference League matchday three opponents, followed by successive home games against Monaco and Borac Banja Luka before the final league phase tie away to Pafos.
Hearts missed out on the knockout rounds on goal difference after amassing seven points at this stage two years ago. Vrancken revealed that is the absolute minimum target this time. Monaco will be overwhelming favourites at Tynecastle Park later this month so points may need to come from the other three fixtures.
“With the situation we are in, we want to qualify and try to get to the next round,” said Vrancken. “We know Monaco are coming and they are a really strong team, of course. You have to take some points somewhere else. I think you need at least two wins on top of the point we have got already - and maybe a bit more. Every opportunity we have to take some points, we have to be ready to take it to help ourselves.”
Thun are the reigning Swiss champions but find themselves languishing in ninth place in the Super League having struggled to replicate last season’s form. They became victims of their own success when coach Mauro Lustrinelli and several established players left for bigger clubs during the summer. Midfielder Franz-Ethan Meichtry joined Italian Serie A side Genoa for £3.3m, forward Elmin Rastoder was transferred to Greek giants Panathinaikos for £2.9m, while left-back Michael Heule moved to German club Heidenheim for £2.3m.
The aforementioned Sturm paid £600,000 for midfielder Valmir Matoshi, and the creative Mathias Tomas went to Puebla in Mexico for £325,000. Lustrinelli was poached by Union Berlin in Germany’s Bundesliga. He was succeeded in the dugout by Gian-Luca Privitelli, who left his job as Switzerland’s national Under-20 coach to take charge of Thun in July.
Privitell’s team favour a 4-4-2 formation with an energetic and aggressive style of play. They pose a definite physical threat to Hearts. Forwards like the 6ft 3in Austrian Furkan Dursun and the imposing Martinique internationalist Brighton Labeau are principal dangers. Midfielder Nils Reichmuth is a Swiss-born Chile internationalist who represents another goal threat from the right. Behind him, Fabio Fehr is a winger to trade but often scampers forward from right-back to good effect.
On Sunday, Thun were 4-1 down with 20 minutes remaining away at Lausanne but recovered to win 5-4. Dursun scored once, Labeau twice, including the 96th-minute winner. “The style of play is really direct. You can compare it a bit with Sturm Graz, I think,” explained Vrancken. “They are very direct, with a lot of intensity and pressure forwards. This is what I expect on Thursday. It will be really physical and intense. They have a lot of players who will press forward and go into duels. There are strong and fast in transitions.”
The Belgian’s options are limited when it comes to counteracting Thun’s dangers. With 10 players currently unavailable through injury, Hearts don’t have their troubles to see right now. Sunday’s 2-1 Premier Sports Cup semi-final defeat by Hibs at Hampden Park stung everyone connected with Tynecastle. Thursday’s European fixture is a welcome distraction. It is the eighth match in a punishing nine-game run of league, cup and Conference League assignments.
“This is what you play for, it's just a pity that you cannot go full force with everybody fit in these games,” acknowledged Vrancken. “That would be the real joy. Some guys had to step in during the second half on Sunday to replace players who came off injured. They put everything in it so you cannot blame them. It's just a pity we were not efficient enough in the penalty box of our opponents to get an equaliser. Now we have to go again from the start with full belief that we can get a result, no matter who is playing or who is playing in which position.”