Hearts goalkeeper Beau Reus has adapted well to the physical demands of Scottish football since his summer move from Beveren, crediting training ground work with keeper coach Gordon Marshall for his progress.
The 6ft 6” shot-stopper has been taken aback by the rough and tumble of the Scottish game, which included having his hand stamped on during the Edinburgh derby win over rivals Hibs. Rangers will be another test for the Belgian, who believes he is adjusting to the aggressive approach in the Premiership.
Physical adaptation and training
Reus said: “It’s a big change but I've been working really hard with the goalkeeper coaches, the trainers and the guys at the club, focusing on the physical side of things and recovery. My body has adapted quite well. If you look at the minutes I've played so far, I haven't missed a training session or a game.”
“In terms of the level, I still think there are some areas I need to work on but I don't think it's going badly. It's just about being a man and being strong in duels and things like that. You can see how damaged my hand was after the Hibs game, when there was a loose ball and the guy just jumped on my hand. It's the kind of thing that doesn't happen in Belgium or in other competitions.”
Dealing with aggressive play
He added: “You just have to stand your ground and be strong in those moments. You have to defend yourself and that's really important. It's the same with high balls and corners. They grab your gloves and your kit, so you just have to be strong, push the guys away, fight with them and be stronger than them.”
“You just have to be smart. I can't swing my arm and give away a penalty so you have to be smart about it. But there are small things you can do, like stepping on guys' toes or just using your elbow a little bit. It's about doing those little things intelligently. Marsh has so much experience and has played a lot of games himself in Scotland, so he's the perfect goalkeeper coach for me at the moment.”
Helping teammates
Reus has also been offering guidance to right-back Rogers Mato, with the winger playing out of position due to the Jambos’ worsening injury crisis. He said: “It's about helping each other. For example, Mato now has to play in another position so you speak to him a lot. For me, I try to help him when we're on the ball and off the ball, explaining what he can do best when we're close to our own box. I see other guys with experience doing the same thing, speaking to him and helping him. We're a really close team. Everyone gets along really well with each other so that's a big positive.”
