The Hearts boss was left very disappointed after a heavy defeat in Glasgow to Celtic following a 7-1 thrashing.
Hearts got off to the worst possible start, conceding twice in the opening 10 minutes, with both goals coming from set-pieces, as it was the start of the battering that Hearts took.
Vrancken was quick to admit that those two early goals impacted the way the rest of the game went, with conceding two goals at a difficult place like Celtic Park proving very costly.
The Hearts boss said: “Really disappointing, because of the way it happened. Especially when you start with two set plays like this. We had it at the beginning of the season, then a long time not, and then you go directly 2-0 behind and it’s difficult. And then a lot of individual mistakes, and then it’s all open. Mistakes we normally wouldn’t make anymore.
“It was not good enough because of the individual mistakes. And the two set plays that killed us at the beginning of the game.”
Celtic showed the amount of power they carry in the final third through the likes of Hassen, Osmand, Duran and even Nygren, as well as the options off the bench, which saw Jota, who has been out for over a year, come off the bench at the break after being out with a lengthy ACL injury and a knee injury.
Vrancken was quite clear about how dangerous Celtic can be and how important it is to stay in the game for as long as possible and not give the hosts any head start, which is exactly what happened on the day.
Vrancken said: “We know that they’re also good in the transition, because they have the most shots on goal in the transition moments. So we also mentioned this and focused on that. But yeah, when you give them an easy way, then it’s much easier for them to score the goal or to create chances.
“But it also starts with the two set plays, of course, because when you don’t get them, it’s another mindset in your head, and you’re more confident, you’re more sure of what you’re doing. And when you go 2-0 behind, it makes everything more difficult.”
Hearts remain in third place but currently sit two points ahead of Dundee, with goal difference certainly in favour of Steven Pressley’s side. Next up for Hearts is a trip to out-of-form Motherwell on Sunday as they look to put this one behind them.
