After an unusual encounter with Burnley, Hearts head coach Steven Naismith wants his team to play with a little more boldness.
Following friendlies against Tottenham and Leyton Orient, the Premiership team played an English Championship match behind closed doors. There was a twist, though, as Burnley’s training site hosted two 75-minute matches at the same time.
One star who returned for Hearts is Kenneth Vargas after international duty, with a final friendly to come next week vs Fleetwood Town before league business begins on August 3rd vs Rangers. Naismith believes Hearts are in a good place as competitive action draws closer, as a ‘bolder’ ask is made of his team.
He said to Hearts TV: “It was really good. We had two teams playing at the same time for 75 minutes, so everyone got more minutes on the pitch. Coming down to play big clubs in England has so many positive aspects to it. Can we press them, win the ball back, and create chances?
“Today, I think there were some positive aspects and some areas where I wish we had shown more courage. All things considered, it was an extremely strong performance in close games. Like Spurs, you have to understand that there will be instances when you don’t have the ball. You then need to determine when you’ll get it back and move the ball about the pitch in a way that will produce opportunities.
“Now that preseason is coming to an end, we can look forward to getting back into a routine and moving past the grind. We are now honing our skills and preparing for the season’s opening match. We’re in a good space and with excellent spirits, and the quality and competition for places that exists within the group now.
“There’s a couple of days off now so they can take their minds off football and let themselves recharge a bit. We’re then into a normal schedule with Fleetwood next weekend and then the first league game the following one.”
