Aberdeen: What went wrong for Jimmy Thelin’s side as record start turns into 10-match winless streak? | Football news

In November, Aberdeen fans dared to dream of winning the title. Jimmy Thelin’s unbeaten side won 10 of their first 11 league matches to go joint top of the Scottish Premiership.

However, the stuff of dreams soon turned into a nightmare run. Since the 4-1 win against Dundee, the Dons have not won a game. Seven defeats in the last 10 games have taken the club to fourth place in the table and 22 points behind Celtic.

Every fan and Thelin himself would have expected a bump or two on the road at some stage, but nobody would have imagined such a dramatic drop in results – so what went wrong at Pittodrie?

One of the following: injury problems, defensive issues or a lack of goals would be a problem for most teams – but the Dons appear to be experiencing all three, leaving Thelin with “issues” to sort out.

Thelin: We have to improve

Even when the Dons were demolishing everything in their path, they were unable to keep clean sheets. Only three came during that league unbeaten run and none have followed since.

Former top scorer at the time Pape Gueye was ruled out through injury and the regular flow of goals from Jamie McGrath, Kevin Nisbet, Topi Keskinen and others was halted – those defensive woes highlighted, as was the lack of a top striker.

Aberdeen – who sold prolific striker Bojan Miovski for £6.8m this summer – have had more possession in their last 10 games compared to their first 10, but have created fewer clear-cut chances, scored fewer goals and not won a game.

Added to that, he has to deal with major injuries. Gavin Molloy, Vicente Besuijen, Ester Sokler and Dimitar Mitov joined Gueye on the sidelines.

However, Thelin – who has been in the job for six months – refuses to panic despite their poor form.

“It’s football, sometimes we have some problems that we have to solve – in the team, in our game and in our performance,” he told Sky Sports News before meeting Hearts on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

“We have to improve. Even when we were winning we saw some things that we need to improve in the long term to be a stable, consistent team that will fight for a place in Europe.

“Then we get some injuries, but I still think we have a good team and they will give other players a chance.

“I didn’t expect not to lose 11 games and I didn’t expect not to win 10 games, so we have to find a balance there, try to get better, keep believing in what we’re doing and don’t lose sight of the long term.

“You have to try to hide your weaknesses and show more of your strengths. We have some parts that we need to improve as a team and as a collective.”

Signings in January to strengthen the team?

Thelin quickly added to his squad in the January transfer window, with the arrivals of wings Jeppe Okkels and Kristers Tobers, and others could follow.

“You always have the ambition to improve the team,” he added. “It can be through training. Time will help the players to grow and be better.

“Also, sometimes you need recruiting to find the right profile, so I think it’s a never-ending story. You always have to try to get better every week in training, but also through recruiting to build the team in the long run.

“I know Okkels from the past, of course. He is a good winger, has the capacity to run a lot and can go behind the back line. Tobers has good leadership and is also good with the ball, but he can also help other players grow.”

How is the view from the stands?

Speaking with Sky SportsAberdeen fan Gary Scott of the ABZ Football Podcast said:

“What you see now is a team that lacks self-confidence and faith, and it shows in performances and results.

“What we saw at the beginning of the season were results that covered up obvious deficiencies in the composition and the team.

“We were still conceding silly goals at the start of the season during that winning run, but it was glossed over because we were winning. It’s only natural to get caught up in the fanfare, but now the scoring has dried up too.

“It comes down to fine margins in games. In these 10 games we were on top in some games but we couldn’t convert and then there was a spell when the opposition were in control and they made us pay.

“We don’t take chances and we still concede stupid goals. No matter what anyone says, from second to 12th this league is competitive and you don’t get points if you don’t take chances.

“I think Thelin knew all along how big a challenge he faced when he came to the club this summer. If nothing else, the last 10 games have crystallized that for him. He will know who the characters are with the mentality to cope with the demands. He will now know who will be on the trip we’ve all heard about.

“Looking at the bigger picture, at the start of this season I would consider a comfortable top-six finish as a sign of progress. As it stands, any fan would accept to be with third place and the upcoming Scottish Cup.

“It gets maddening when you’re opened up. There are Rangers who look like they want to give away second place but we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. However, we’d all take this start if it was offered to us in the summer. Hopefully, we can get back to winning ways and continue to improve the squad in January.”