Andy Halliday admits raising the curtain on Hearts ’ Europa Conference League campaign with a drubbing from Istanbul Basaksehir was more than just a humiliating anti-climax.
The Tynecastle midfielder believes the 4-0 defeat to the Turks was also a wake-up call for a side which he’s adamant won’t be allowed to bow out of Group A with a whimper. All roads now lead to Riga as Hearts aim to restore some pride by putting points on the board and the 30-year-old insists the plan was always to target some rich pickings in Latvia.
As Robbie Neilson ’s men were being mauled at home by Basaksehir, Rigas FS were earning a point at Fiorentina and Halliday revealed there’s already been a dressing room summit designed to ensure the 18-year-wait for European group stage football isn’t a misadventure. He said: “That’s a chat we had after the game. There’s a huge feeling of disappointment when you lose your opening game 4-0, especially in the manner of our second half performance. But it’s one game out of six and we played a Pot 1 team who were 23 games unbeaten going into the match.
“So we knew we were facing a very good side. I know it’s cliched but it has to be a lesson and we have to take the positives from the first half and try and use that to our benefit over the remaining five games. The boys feel we have to take points against Riga over the two games if we want to do anything in this group. We are going over on Thursday to try to get a positive result.”
Rigas edged past Irish side Linfield during their qualification for the group phase and Hearts are about to line up in The Little and Large show. Halliday is more than aware that Thursday night’s clash isn’t one for the vertically challenged.
He said: “We looked that. I think their three centre-halves are all 6ft 2in-plus, the striker is 6ft 2in, the two midfielders are 6ft-plus. We aren’t the biggest side, either. We also spoke about the fact we’ve conceded too many set-pieces since the start of the season. With the height Rigas have, we have to deal with that better.
“I’m sure we will do plenty work on it. In Europe, one thing that’s really important is when you are in possession, you can’t turn it over quickly. If we start playing more direct, I think it will play into their hands with the size they have. We showed in the Zurich games that, when we play, we cause teams problems.”
If the height issues weren’t enough of a novelty to contend with, Hearts will also have to adapt to the scheduled 10pm kick-off due to the two hour time difference and Halliday admits it’s another continental twist which will have the sport scientists working overtime.
He said: “It will be a bit different. It benefits us that we stay over on the Thursday night as well because you start to get home at silly o’clock if you get a flight home right after the match. It’s different but you just need to deal with it.
“The sports scientists come into play as well. They look at your nutrition and recovery. In the past when you’ve had later kick-offs then you still work off UK time with schedules. Then when you go back there’s no challenge to your body clock. It’s all facets you have to deal with. We want to be in this competition and compete so you need to deal with these things.”
Last Thursday’s clash with Basaksehir will be remembered more for the half-time minute’s silence to mark the passing of the Queen. Halliday revealed he has a suspicion the nation would be soon mourning a monarch as he spoke about that night and the subsequent postponement of professional football across the country.
He said: ”We saw the statement from the Royal Family during the day and we felt there was something not right. There was clearly something going on but we had to focus on the game and that’s exactly what we did.
“But then at half time when they started handing out black armbands then we knew that the Queen had passed away, which was very sad news.. There were outstanding circumstances over the weekend with the full nation — across the United Kingdom — being in mourning.
“But we were back in training on Monday with all guns blazing towards another massive game against Riga on Thursday. The Premiership games are back on next weekend as well, which is good for us for footballing reasons. If we had to try and reschedule two postponed games within our schedule that would have been very difficult.”
If points are to be reaped against Rigas then Halliday admits Hearts must show the best of themselves by sorting out the good, the bad and the ugly from their loss to Basaksehir
He said: “Rigas got a positive result against Fiorentina so we are under no illusions that it’s going to be a tough task. It always is at this level. But I think we have got enough quality to go and cause Riga some real problems in Latvia.
“They will be delighted with their start in this group. We need to try to put an end to that. You can only get back into the game by doing the right things and if you are playing against a good team and you allow the gaps to be that big it’s going to be difficult to get the ball back. That was the case in the second half against against Basaksehir."
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