With finals football achieved for this season, Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip says the side must now reassess its goals for the remainder of the campaign.
With finals football achieved for this season, Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip says the side must now reassess its goals for the remainder of the campaign.
Heart virtually secured its finals place with a 2-2 draw against Sydney FC last weekend, ensuring the Red and White will feature in the Hyundai A-League Finals Series for the first time in Club history.
“We had our goal, which was to get into the finals, and is something everyone knows we wanted,” van ‘t Schip said.
“Now, we have to set the goal higher, that-s what going to start from now on.”
While Heart-s upcoming contest with Adelaide United is a dead rubber of sorts, van ‘t Schip dismissed suggestions he would field a weakened side, with a view to resting key performers ahead of the Finals Series.
Van ‘t Schip believes such an approach would ultimately prove damaging, disrupting his side-s continuity and run of form.
“We-ll prepare like we do every game,” he said.
“If there is something medical we need to take care of from a player-s stand point, then potentially, we-ll take it into consideration, but otherwise, I don-t believe in throwing in a bunch of other players because it-s a game where the result isn-t as important.
“We need to enter the finals series with a good feeling.”
With van ‘t Schip unimpressed by Heart-s second half performance against Sydney FC, his charges are certain to face a challenging week on the training paddock, as he seeks to decipher the reason for the Red and White-s second half fade out.
“I-ve told the players as well there is too much of a difference between our first and second half performances each week,” he said.
“We have to prepare for the game against Adelaide in a really good way, and it-s something we-ll work on this week.”
