“Ultimately, the goal is to finish as high as possible; this is no different.”
“For us, it’s about getting up to speed quickly, quality-wise, because there are many changes—new staff as well as players.”
“But we still need results. It comes down to delivering and proving our quality on the pitch.”
Hearts lost 2-0 at home to Sturm Graz on Tuesday, sealing a 6-0 aggregate defeat, and Vrancken knows his team must improve at Pittodrie.
“In football, there’s no real long term—only the short term and what you do in the next match,” he said.
“Right now we’re focused on getting a positive result and going there to win. That’s the target.”
Vrancken has examined Aberdeen closely and expects some tactical adjustments in Stephen Robinson’s first full season in charge.
“I’ve watched a lot of their games,” he said. “The manager is encouraging a bit more construction in their play than perhaps they showed last season.”
Vrancken believes an opening-day win would give a significant lift to morale.
“That would be really important,” he added. “If we can do that, it will make a big difference.”