Two Hearts decisions leave Sturm Graz very surprised - 'easier for us to defend'
Ingolitsch expected Ba-Sy to start as he assesses Tynecastle side’s chances
Sturm Graz head coach Fabio Ingolitsch has expressed surprise that Hearts did not start French duo Tom Renaud or Amadou Ba-Sy in their Champions League clash at Tynecastle.
Leading 4-0 from the first leg in Austria, Sturm Graz were braced for changes to the Hearts XI as they aimed to overhaul a large second qualifying round deficit. Ingolitsch declared pre-match that he expected up to five alterations to the home starting XI and a potential switch in tactics.
In the end, Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken made three personnel changes, bringing in defenders Stephen Kingsley and Jordi Altena plus attacking midfielder Sabri Guendouz. They were unable to help the Jambos turn the tie around, with Sturm Graz prevailing 2-0 in Gorgie and 6-0 on aggregate.
Ingolitsch and his Sturm Graz players celebrated in front of 500 travelling supporters as they secured a third qualifying round date with either Fenerbahce or Gornik Zabre and after the match, the 34-year-old coach explained why he was braced for Renaud and Ba-Sy, in particular, to start - with both men appearing on 69 minutes when the tie was over.
"It surprised me a lot that Renaud was not playing and it surprised me the most that Ba-Sy was not playing because I think everyone knows we want to press high, so they need to take long balls to the last line, like a target man,” said Ingolitsch, “So for our central defenders and especially Jeyland Mitchell it was quite easy to win those duels.
“I think it was like in the first leg; when Ba-Sy is in the game, it's tougher for us because of his physical ability and his strength. That is difficult to defend and that's why we were a little bit surprised by this, not having a target man in the last line. We all expected that Hearts would have more possession, cross the balls in the box, but like I said, they didn't have the target man so it was easier for us to defend.”
Ba-Sy and Renaud were both signed in the summer from Rouen and Versailles respectively from the third tier of French football, although Ba-Sy’s early pre-season preparations were hampered by illness. They had both started Friday’s 1-0 friendly win over Raith Rovers.
While Sturm Graz march on in the Champions League and are assured of at least main phase Europa League football, Hearts still face two qualifiers. They drop into the Europa League third qualifying round and will play either Portuguese giants Benfica or Swiss outfit St Gallen, who take a 2-1 lead to Estadio da Luz after winning the first leg back home in Switzerland.
Should Hearts fail to navigate that tie, then they will drop into the Conference League play-off - although a win would take them to the Europa League play-offs and guarantee playing in one of those competitions after August.
Asked if he thought Hearts can make the Europa League or Conference League, Ingolitsch commented: "It's not easy to say because I don't know which way they need to go. What I can really say, and it's really honest, that they have a really good team.
“I think the coach did a really good job so far because he's only been here four or five weeks. You see how the style of play has changed, how dominant they are. They are a really good team, but it needs to make development together. I think they have good cards to go to the Conference League.”