Aberdeen’s Defensive Vulnerabilities Exposed in Recent Games

Aberdeen has experienced a challenging re-entry into domestic competition, having lost five points across the two most recent games, with future matches anticipated to be even more difficult. The team has been left to rue poor first-half displays and late-game incidents; St Mirren handed Jimmy Thelin his initial league defeat, and then 2-1 and 3-2 advantages were squandered in stoppage time, allowing Hibernian to secure a draw at Easter Road. Aberdeen’s tendency for slow starts is not a new phenomenon, nor are late goals conceded, although the latter was an existing issue before Thelin assumed management. However, for his squad to build upon their excellent beginning to the league season, he must address these underlying problems. The Dons have netted 20 goals in the second half of matches compared to only eight in the initial 45 minutes, and the reason for these sluggish starts is likely a puzzle for Thelin, especially with upcoming trips to Tynecastle and a home fixture against Celtic. The late collapse in Leith also brought to light defensive weaknesses that the team had largely avoided consequences for prior to these two encounters. They have managed only one Premiership clean sheet since their 1-0 victory against Ross County at the close of August, and their current defensive record is now inferior to those of Rangers and Dundee Utd. The goals scored by Hibs’ Nicky Cadden and Rocky Bushiri served as a reminder to Dons’ supporters of past season collapses against County, Rangers, and St Mirren, and it overshadowed Ester Sokler’s impressive goal that had appeared to secure the win. The team now faces its two most challenging fixtures. This includes a return to Edinburgh on Sunday to play Hearts, a venue where they have not secured a win in 12 visits since 2017, followed by a Wednesday match at Pittodrie against the reigning champions, who have remained undefeated against the Dons in their last 27 meetings. Nevertheless, accumulating 32 points from their first 13 games remains an exceptional achievement as Thelin endeavors to steer the team back on course in Gorgie.