Shinnie Calls Celtic Thrashing “A Massive Learning Curve” for Aberdeen

Midfielder Graeme Shinnie (left) has characterized Aberdeen’s 6-0 defeat to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final as “a massive learning curve” for the team. Despite the significant disappointment, Shinnie expressed confidence that the squad can move past the result. Under manager Jimmy Thelin, Aberdeen, known as the Dons, had entered the match on an impressive 16-game unbeaten streak, which included a 2-2 league draw previously played at Celtic Park. However, it was Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic team, maintaining their domestically unbeaten record, that advanced to the final, where they are set to play either Motherwell or Rangers. Shinnie, a midfielder, acknowledged the immediate impact of the loss, stating, “It is going to hurt for the next couple of days.” He continued, “Defeats like that do, but I think we have to analyse it then get over it and look forward to next week and turning it round and getting back to winning ways.” He also noted the team’s league performance, stating, “We have had a good start in the league and it is a league game next week against Dundee at home with a sell-out crowd again, so we need to repay that with a good performance.” When questioned about the disparity between their earlier league draw and the recent cup defeat, Shinnie offered a straightforward explanation. Speaking to BBC Scotland, he elaborated, “That is what happens if we are not at the top of our game.” He continued, “Celtic are a good team if you let them play to their strengths. “When they are at the top of their game like that, we need to match it with the top of our game and we weren’t there, so when we don’t play well and they are playing well like that, it is a bit of a recipe for disaster, so it is a massive learning curve for the squad.” Earlier in the week, Aberdeen had secured a 2-1 victory over Rangers in a closely contested Premiership match at Pittodrie, a result that placed them nine points ahead of the visitors, a position also held by Celtic. However, Shinnie dismissed the idea of using that prior success as an excuse for the cup performance. He further stated, “We prepared well for the game, recovered well after Wednesday, prepared as we normally would.” Shinnie concluded by saying, “We didn’t make our mark, we had a couple of chances in the second half, but we didn’t do enough on the day to hurt them going forward and the goals that we lost were really sloppy, so a mix of everything is a bad day.”