Christophe Berra, a former Hearts captain, is accustomed to Heart of Midlothian being regarded as early title contenders.
Under George Burley, the team won their first eight games and went undefeated for their first 12 in the 2005–06 season, finishing second, ahead of Rangers, and winning the Scottish Cup under Valdas Ivanauskas, with Graham Rix serving as manager in between.
Craig Levein led the team to a similar start thirteen years later when Berra returned for his second stint.
The campaign’s opening seven games without a loss raised more questions about whether they could hold it and present a threat. After a collapse and a terrible sequence of results, they were unable to do so and ended up in sixth place.
He believes it is crucial for the present team to silence any talk about them being title contenders because he was a part of those two experiences, which had rather different results. He said, “I think it depends,” when asked how to handle that noise.
Since social media dictates a lot, it will ultimately depend on the individual whether they are active on social media, enjoy reading the news, and so forth.
“I didn’t try to pay too much attention to the press myself. You will undoubtedly be questioned about your media work, but I believe you just concentrate on your work on a daily basis.
We’ve all been in situations when it’s easy to get ahead of yourself.
In the end, I believe it’s about making sure the person is prepared to perform in the greatest possible condition, but there will be people that do that and there’s nothing wrong with it.
The team will have every opportunity to perform and win every game if you do it.
“A lot of noise will be around, but it’s important to ignore it and avoid becoming overly preoccupied with reading articles, listening to the news, or browsing through fan content on social media. Let’s face it, the season has hardly begun after six games.
Nevertheless, he believes it is feasible for his former team to go for a top two Premiership finish this year.
“Rangers are very fragile, let’s put it politely,” he said when asked if it is reasonable to expect to be able to challenge the big two.
Celtic has not been playing well and is missing a few important players.
However, I believe Celtic always gets off to a sluggish start. Because of their extensive experience and skill as players, I believe they will click, gain momentum, and win games when necessary.
Conversely, the Rangers are a young, inexperienced team that is under a lot of strain. Right now, it’s impossible to predict how they’ll recover.
“I believe it’s a feasible choice on paper. But there’s still a long way to go. In the past, Hearts have experienced numerous injury issues. They must make an effort to maintain people’s physical fitness.
There is a chance, but I believe you should ask us after thirty games rather than only six.
In 2005, Hearts‘ fans and the rest of Scottish football were shocked when Romanov fired George Burley after the team had won eight of their ten opening games and drawn two.
He would keep switching the manager, therefore it was amazing that the team was able to divide the Old Firm and win a cup while staying reasonably on course.
Off the pitch, the club’s current state of stability and prosperity should be beneficial. Berra believes that manager Derek McInnes‘ expertise and background in Scottish football will also play a significant role.
“Yeah, I think first and foremost, that’s why they’ve got Derek in, because he knows what he’s doing,” the former Scotland player clarified. He is quite realistic and well-versed in the game.
He will align his team, get them all together, and have them work as a unit.
“In the ten years that I’ve been there, it’s been up and down; there have been both good and bad periods.
Hearts therefore require some constancy. Derek has undoubtedly been brought in for that, in my opinion.
Twenty years ago, Hibs put a stop to the season’s undefeated start.
The “We are unbeatable” shouts that had been a defining element of those early weeks came to an end thanks to goals from Guillaume Beuzelin and Garry O’Connor.
Despite playing ninety minutes against Kilmarnock the week before, Berra did not play that day.
However, he is aware that the current crop will be keen for the Easter Road players to stop their incredible play.
As he acknowledges, “Obviously you don’t want to get beat,”
“Hearts, you don’t want to lose, but they’ll still be in a strong position. You don’t want to be beaten, first and foremost.
“Make sure you don’t lose the game and that you try your hardest to win. They won’t be considering that, in my opinion.
Right now, they’re in the best spot they’ve been in a long time.
Simply keep doing what they’re doing, which is creating chances, scoring goals, and not giving up.”
“They’ll enter with assurance. They ought to be.
First and foremost, you cannot become more confident if you had an undefeated season.
“They have players who can score goals all over the pitch. Hearts are currently facing a serious threat from set pieces, two wide men, and center-backs who are scoring.
Previously, eliminating Lawrence Shankland would essentially eliminate 90% of the team’s aims. There are now goals everywhere in the park. They will therefore be a different beast to contend with.
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