Sven Sprangler hasn’t settled for life as a St Johnstone fringe player.
And now that the midfielder is back in the Perth starting line-up, he’s going to do everything in his power to stay there.
The Austrian has only been given a few starts under Craig Levein, with Dan Phillips, Matt Smith, Graham Carey and Max Kucheriavyi accumulating more game-time than him over recent months.
But Sprangler was given his chance in a new-look formation at Pittodrie in midweek.
Being part of the best team performance since the turn of the year – and a winning one – should help advance his cause when it comes to Levein selecting his side for Saturday’s clash with Livingston.
“Wednesday night was a very important win,” said the 28-year-old.
“It was also special for me because I played the full 90 minutes and contributed to it. I was very happy.
“I enjoyed every moment of it.
“Tomorrow is a new game. Hopefully I will play again and the team will win again.
“When I’m not playing, of course I’m disappointed.
“But it’s important that I show in training what I can do.
“I always want to prove that I should be in the starting XI and hopefully what I did against Aberdeen was enough for that.”
Partnership with Phillips
Having two battlers in the heart of midfield was key to the Saints display against Aberdeen.
“I play to my strengths,” said Sprangler.
“To be honest, there are better technical players than me. That’s true.
“But my fitness is good and I bring a lot of energy to the pitch.
“I love playing with Dan.
“We are both aggressive players who love to press. It’s a good fit when we are side by side.
“Hopefully other teams don’t like playing against us – when they have the ball and when we have the ball.
“That’s true for the whole team.
“We’re at our best when we’re as one.
“When we do the basics right we are a very good team.
“We have to show that again tomorrow.
“This is a big game.
“We know Livingston are in last place but we also know they will fight for three points.
“We have to win the duels and if we do that I’m confident we’ll win.
“They are all important games now.”
Sprangler, signed by Steven MacLean on a two-year deal, made sure his mindset was a positive one when he was a Saints substitute.
“If you’re not playing you’re always thinking about why that is,” he said.
“I knew that I had to improve in every aspect of my game.
“It has always been my target to keep improving as a footballer and to be the best version of myself.
“I think one of my strengths is learning.
“I see every training session as an opportunity to get to a higher level.
“The gaffer and Andy (Kirk) explain how they want us to play and they make sure we focus on that.”
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