Hearts manager Walter Francken praised winger Rogers Mato after using him in an unfamiliar left-back role to face Mohamed Salah during the 2-0 defeat by Trabzonspor in the Conference League.
Hearts travelled to Turkey without several first-choice midfielders and defenders, only days after suffering a heavy 7-1 loss to Celtic on Sunday. Their problems increased on the eve of the match when left-back Harry Milne suffered an injury believed to be an anterior cruciate ligament tear during training at Papara Park.
With Milne unavailable, Francken surprised many by selecting Ugandan winger Mato at left-back. The 22-year-old delivered a strong performance and helped Hearts avoid a more emphatic defeat, despite the concerns surrounding the team before kick-off.
Salah put the home side ahead from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute. The former Liverpool forward then created Trabzonspor’s second goal, setting up team-mate Frankolino in the 58th minute.
Explaining his decision to deploy Mato in defence, Francken told BBC Scotland: “Yes, I spoke to him today, after Harry had to withdraw from the game yesterday.”
He added: “I spoke to Rogers today and he was very clear during our conversation. He said: ‘No problem.’ I gave him some details about the position and also about the job of marking Salah.”
Francken said Mato’s pace and strength in one-on-one situations made him a suitable option, despite being primarily an attacking player.
“I knew he could cope with the speed in that position,” he said. “I also know that when Rogers is fully focused, he is very strong in one-on-one situations, particularly because he is an attacking player by nature.”
The Hearts manager admitted the decision would have attracted criticism had Salah scored more goals.
“So I am pleased it worked out this way, because if Salah had scored two or three goals, everyone would have said the decision was wrong and unsuccessful,” Francken said. “But you have to trust some players.”
Francken also highlighted the wider impact of the team’s injury problems, saying players had been forced to perform in unfamiliar roles.
“When you see some players performing in positions different from their usual ones because of necessity, that is a positive thing,” he said. “We had only one midfielder available, with six players injured.”
Jordi Altiena also impressed in midfield despite not normally playing there.
“Jordi Altiena also gave a great performance in midfield, even though it is not his natural position,” Francken said. “I am happy to see these things happen and that we were able to move on from last week’s result and produce a good team performance.”
