John Callan runs through five reasons why Dons fans have come out of the latest European run with a more positive mindset, despite the disappointment of failing to reach the Europa League group stages.
Scottish sides know exactly how to bow out of Europe. That’s by no means a snide remark at the increasing earliness at which they seem to get eliminated from continental competition nowadays, more an observation on the finely-tuned style in which they do it.
Take Aberdeen’s aggregate loss to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty last night. It ticked plenty of the boxes, with just the right amount of hope – not too much that they were ever favourites to progress, but not so little that it was ever a lost cause. Plenty of other Euro exit tropes were there; the pigeon-holing of the opposition (nouveau riche mercenaries from mineral-rich Eastern Europe), the reciprocated rallying call to supporters and the frothing at the mouth over time-wasting and simulation which was seen to have polluted the pure British Isles air like a chemical weapon. But, for all that Aberdeen are now masters at getting knocked-out in a time-honoured style, there is less of the desolation you’d normally associated with Europa elimination. Similarly to last year, arguably even more so, the short-lived European run has provided more hope than despair for Dons supporters ahead of the upcoming domestic campaign.
Aside from a nervous second leg against Shkendija, all six matches were largely encouraging, while as a set they showed a team with a few marked differences from last year. And not just the garishly white socks. Most impressive was an away dismantling of Rijeka which showed a hitherto rare ruthlessness, but even in defeat against Kairat there were positives on show.
Here’s why the mini-run gave good cause for optimism:
The squad has improved
On paper it would have been fair to conclude that Aberdeen are one of the few Premiership sides to have visibly got better, rather than expend a lot of effort to roughly stand still, but it will have still re-assured fans to have seen it in practice. The stand-out among the new signings is clearly Graeme Shinnie, who was probably the best player over the six European fixtures, looking equally comfortable in both deep midfield and marauding full-back modes. Less obviously, Paul Quinn has largely negated the blow of losing Mark Reynolds, showing how well-insulated the team is to losing a key player. And although he was signed last January, Kenny McLean is playing like a new signing too, having seemingly found the swagger and scoring touch he was doubtless recruited for. It seems more apparent than ever that the Dons have a depth bettered only by Celtic.
The ‘keeper situation
One of the main reasons Aberdeen couldn’t keep pace with Celtic until the season’s end was the disparity in goalkeepers. While Celtic had Writers’ Player of the Season Craig Gordon, the Dons had an unhealthy amalgam of Scott Brown and Jamie Langfield, who share a similar weakness set and arguably cost the team in big matches. While its early days, and he had a somewhat nervy start, loanee Danny Ward looks to be an accomplished ‘keeper and has already won over the support – if only by virtue of not being Langfield. If it turns out that he has enough talent to cope with the Scottish Premiership, then a significant gap between last season’s top two will have been bridged.
They are even more adaptable
As Craig Cairns pointed out in his season preview, one of the biggest transformations under McInnes has been Aberdeen’s journey from rigid, belt-and-braces 4-5-1-merchants to a flexibly expansive side with a number of different game-plans. Even in this small Euro sample size he’s switched between three and four at the back, as well as a variety of forward combinations to suit the job at hand. He’s blessed with some incredible versatility, with the likes of Hayes, Shinnie and to a lesser extent, Considine looking just as adept in different roles, which will be a huge advantage over the course of a whole season. Sure, that might be old news, but McInnes also seemed quicker to make changes in these early fixtures, his aversion to which has previously been a pernickety gripe of some Dandies.
The Goodwillie Renaissance
To most observers, dropping the player more responsible than any other for Aberdeen’s standout campaign last year for the majority of the European fixtures would be a touch unusual. But, such have David Goodwillie’s performances been, there have been few complaints. While this might not be representative team selection come league fixtures – even Shkendija were of a decent enough standard to warrant a little caution in team selection – it shows that the striking options don’t start and end with Rooney. It’s unlikely the prolific Irishman will be sacrificed against (without wishing to be Old-Firmily dismissive) less able Premiership sides, but Goodwillie’s touch, hold up play and even work rate exhibited in Europe suggests he might be preferred in big matches. If starts adding goals, he could be one of the best strikers in the league.
Confidence in ability
In a slightly vaguer sense, and with the exception of the second half of the second Shkendija leg, Aberdeen have played these European matches with a confidence that they’d get a result, even against superior opposition. It’s difficult to describe, but when Jimmy Calderwood’s side enjoyed a stellar European run in 2007/08 it felt slightly different. They played against bigger and better teams with intensity and organisation, but certainly in a manner befitting of underdogs, relying on individual moments to get results. This team has far greater assuredness in possession, and for the most part don’t look as if they defer to any opposition. Even the weakest links look at least vaguely comfortable passing the ball around patiently, and there isn’t one player who currently isn’t worth his place in the side. In short, they’re the most technically able Aberdeen side I’ve ever clapped eyes on. Not that that’s especially tough. Whether that’s enough to provide an even better domestic campaign than the previous two though, is less clear.