Aberdeen, Celtic, and Cercle Brugge are waiting.
Right now, as a Hearts player, life is fast-paced and hectic. Frankie Kent, the defender, wouldn’t have it any other way.
Before the international break, the Jambos concluded with a trip to Ibrox to play Rangers and a glitzy Europa Conference League match against German Bundesliga team Heidenheim. Even though Hearts lost both games, they were praised for their performance. Under new head coach Neil Critchley, the focus now is on maintaining a record of successful outcomes.
On the continent, hearts are in a better place than they are at home. Halfway through the Conference League league phase, one more victory could ensure a play-off berth at worst, meaning European action after Christmas for the first time since 1989. However, with only two victories under their belt, they are currently at second-bottom in the Premiership.
Hearts will play Celtic under the lights on Saturday night when club football resumes the following weekend. November 23. Then, on Thursday, November 28, they catch a plane to Belgium to play Cercle Brugge in the Conference League.
Afterward, on Sunday, December 1, Aberdeen will go to Gorgie. In just eight days, the league’s only unbeaten clubs and one of the wealthiest teams in the Jupiler Pro League will square off.
“Everyone knew when I was coming here that Hearts is a big club,” said English defender Kent, who has been a reliable performer ever since moving from Peterborough to Edinburgh eighteen months ago.
Playing all these major games and doing what I’m doing now proves it. We want you to always push yourself against superior teams and players. That’s what we want to do.
For us, the major games are approaching quickly, but that is what we desire. We are here to challenge ourselves; after playing Rangers, we now take on the two top teams in the league. In between, we have an away game in Europe.
I came here to challenge myself and play these games, which is why I came. You don’t want an easy ride, and we’ve got to put ourselves to the test; it’s challenging but fun. Even if we dislike losing, we must find the good in it, grow from it, and strive to use it to improve. These are difficult and significant games.
Given a dismal start to the season that lost manager Steven Naismith his job, Hearts’ league needs seem more urgent. As a result, there is pressure on a team that wants to finish in the top four to move up the standings quickly. Kent is well aware of these expectations, but he thinks there is still plenty of time to catch up to teams that are higher up.
“We know the situation we’re in, but we can’t place too much importance on it,” Kent added. Even though November is the last month of the season, it’s not like we’re chasing. We are aware that we must always improve, but you must also be able to think clearly.
“From the standpoint of the league, things can change rapidly. We all know that this season hasn’t been good enough, and I am aware of that. However, football may change drastically; a string of wins makes things appear somewhat better. However, we also know that it puts pressure on you if you don’t obtain them. Game by game, we must endeavour to perform as well as we can and proceed accordingly.”
More time spent with Critchley, who joined the team last month and is revolutionising Hearts’ football style, will have benefited Kent and his teammates who are not on international duty. Kent continued, “The manager has worked on the finer details.”
“I think the last few games have shown you what we’re attempting to accomplish and the faith he has placed in us to succeed. He has been helpful in certain ways, but we must improve.
“No one was performing well enough to merit results at the beginning of the season. Boys are playing in accordance with our expectations, and we have begun to play better. Everything we’re doing is focused on helping us achieve results.
Due to the timetable, the manager hasn’t spent a lot of time on the training pitch. In a month, we have played seven or eight games. Therefore, the international break is crucial for him to recuperate and work on the topics he wants to prioritise. To become better, we must adjust a few things.
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