ON the face of it, a 2-0 defeat is hardly ideal preparation for a do-or-die European clash in a few days’ time. But Peter Haring, the Hearts midfielder, believes there are plenty of positives to be found in his side’s loss to Celtic on Sunday.
With the capital club’s Europa League play-off with FC Zurich hanging in the balance – the Swiss champions hold a slender 2-1 lead ahead of Thursday night’s second leg at Tynecastle – head coach Robbie Neilson decided to ring the changes for his team’s trip to Parkhead.
No fewer than seven players, including talismanic goalkeeper Craig Gordon, were rested as Hearts fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Premiership champions. Kyogo Furuashi gave Celtic the lead early on as he turned in Daizen Maeda’s cross before Giorgos Giakoumakis sealed the win with his team’s second in second-half stoppage time.
Neilson clearly had one eye on Thursday night’s European encounter when selecting his starting XI and Haring believes that his manager made the right call. The Jambos might well have headed home along the M8 with nothing to show for their exertions, but the 29-year-old Austrian insists that he and his team-mates will take confidence from the manner of the loss, if not the result itself – particularly as the men from the capital finished the game with nine men after Alex Cochrane and Toby Sibbick each accrued two bookings in the closing exchanges.
“As always, Celtic was a really, really tough game,” said Haring. “One of the toughest places I’ve always been – and it’s always like that. But I think we dug in and defended really well and stuck to our game-plan.
“Overall we caused them problems and asked some questions and overall it’s been a really good performance, especially defensively. I felt with a bit of luck we could have taken something out of the game.
“A hundred per cent [we can take this confidence into the Zurich game]. Especially with the changes we made against Celtic. All the boys who haven’t played as much recently were all outstanding.
“They worked their socks off for the team and overall we have to take the positives from the game. It has to give us confidence for Thursday. Definitely.
“We actually started the first half well. They scored with their first real opportunity and mentally that is really hard, when you start well and they score with their first real chance. But the way we reacted after that was really good.
“You don’t want to concede straight away again and we did really well to limit their chances. Second half, we came out really good and had a period when they couldn’t really get out of their half. Then in the end, with two men sent off, it’s almost impossible to get a late goal.”
It was always going to be a tall order, even for a full-strength Hearts team, to avoid defeat at Celtic Park. The debate over whether or not Neilson should have thrown in the towel in order to focus his side’s energies on Zurich is one that will split the fanbase but there is little doubt that it leaves the men from the capital in an encouraging position ahead of Thursday’s return leg.
Haring and his team-mates know that a place in the Europa Conference League is assured if they fail to overcome Zurich in Gorgie and while the defensive midfielder is relieved to have that insurance policy in place, he insists that qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League – something Haring is adamant has been a long-term goal of his – remains the team’s aim heading into the return fixture against the Swiss.
“We all know how big this game is for our club,” he observed. “Obviously it’s always disappointing to lose a game like Celtic. But all eyes are on Thursday now, can’t wait for that game.
“For us, it’s an opportunity to achieve something big with the club and get the club back where everyone thinks Hearts should be. We as players want to be there as well. It’s just an opportunity to do something special for the club.
“Yes, of course [it matters whether Hearts reach the Europa League or the Conference League]. Does it matter if it is the Europa League or Champions League? Well, yes, it does matter. You want to compete with the best teams possible.
“If we have the chance to qualify for the Europa League then that is obviously the target we want to achieve.
“There have been clubs playing in that competition that are not the size of Hearts. I said it before, when I signed for Hearts, that playing in the Europa League was a big, big target. That’s where the club want to be and that’s the next step for us as a team: to be there regularly.”
Haring adds that Hearts have one weapon in their arsenal that has yet to be unleashed against FC Zurich, and the Austrian believes it is one that could have a telling effect on Thursday night: the voracious backing of the home support at Tynecastle, who will be doing their utmost to unsettle their Swiss opponents.
“I think it affects everyone that comes to Tynecastle,” he added. “I know what it’s going to be like. Our supporters, especially in big games, always put pressure on the away team.
“They help us and we have to use the crowd, especially early in the game, and then we will see what happens. But, definitely, for an away team it’s not a great place to be. And for us it’s a better prospect.
“It’s hopefully going to be a great night for us and for the club. If we put the same effort in defensively and offensively as we did against Celtic then we’ve got a right good chance.”
