Celtic should expect a 'different' Hearts side as Jambos star plays down extra 'motivation' claim
A lot has changed at Tynecastle since May 16
Celtic should expect a very ‘different’ Hearts team before their Premiership clash at Parkhead from the one who lost 3-1 on the final day last season, according to their striker Claudio Braga.
Nearly six months on from their decider, the Jambos have lost their captain, manager and several more senior players. Braga is one of only a handful who remain in Gorgie. He admits the final day will always put a downer on what was the club’s best season in decades - but doesn’t think it’ll fuel them with any extra motivation on Sunday afternoon.
New manager Wouter Vrancken is a lot different to their previous boss Derek McInnes. Under the current Rangers gaffer, they were arguably harder to beat, whereas the Belgian has created what he described as ‘organised chaos’. Hearts currently sit third in the league - but a win at Celtic Park would put them within touching distance of the champions.
Hearts very ‘different’ to last season - Braga
Speaking to Sky Sports, Braga explained the differences between this season to last. He said: “They’re just different (Vrancken and McInnes), two great guys. I can't really say a bad word about Derek McInnes, for me he was a great coach, a great person, helped me a lot on and off the pitch. I feel like more straightforward with Derek, just go more aggressive and the energy was our biggest goal in the game and then everything else with the quality of the players we'll do.
“In this system and this idea with the gaffer, it's just a little bit more controlled and more possession wise and try to play positive football all the time. Also pricing, but maybe the main idea is not the energy, even though we need to have it, but it's also like the quality of the ball and having more ball and creating more chances out of more playing chances.”
What changes have been made to Hearts on the pitch?
The changes in maroon extend to the pitch as well. The only available Hearts players who started for Hearts on THAT day who could feature are defenders Harry Milne, Stuart Findlay, Stephen Kingsley and striker Pierre Landry Kabore. It is for this reason Braga claims that there won’t be any extra motivation or vengeance mission because of last season.
He added: “I feel like it’s a completely different season, different players. Also, a lot of the players were not here. The players that are still here, we remember, but we just can't use that as motivation. Our motivation is playing against a good team that is our opponents and opposition for what we want, that is to get above them. We just need to go there and face it as a normal game like we would anyway, without thinking about what happened in the past.”
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