Sven Sprangler embracing new St Johnstone status

Sven Sprangler has gone from St Johnstone fringe player to focal point.

And the Perth midfielder is embracing the responsibility he has been given in Simo Valakari’s new-look team.

The Austrian has started every game since Craig Levein was sacked and, now that Valakari is allowed to work on the touchline, has played every minute of the last two matches.

The new head coach wants to see his team passing their way up the pitch and Sprangler is becoming an increasingly important factor in starting Saints attacks from his holding midfield role.

The 29-year-old is appreciative of the faith placed in him by Valakari and relishing his playmaker role.

“I am very grateful for that,” said Sprangler. “It’s good for me to improve as a player and I also want to be available for the play and to help the team.

“That’s my aim.

“It’s good to be out there playing 90 minutes, especially when I wasn’t playing a lot before.

“Now I am in there, I am enjoying every minute of it and I will do everything for the team.

“I am improving that little bit more with every game. I feel I can keep pushing to be the best version of myself for the team.”

Bounce-back against Hearts

Sprangler is confident that Saints can put their midweek loss to St Mirren behind them and bounce back quickly against Hearts on Saturday.

“Everything we did on the training pitch, we also tried in the game which was good,” he said.

“We have momentum with that but we have to stop conceding three goals.

“It’s bitter when you do that but we want to put that right in the next game.”

He added: “In the first half against St Mirren we were more on the front foot, more aggressive against the ball.

“We kept the ball well.

“When you score three goals away, it’s good. But two of them were disallowed.

“In the second half, they put pressure on us and with the set-pieces we know they are very dangerous.

“They hurt us with second balls.

“That’s a little bit disappointing because it felt like there was a win or a point in the game for us. The good thing is on the weekend we have the next game.”