Aberdeen: What has gone wrong for Jimmy Thelin's side as record-breaking start turns into 12-game winless run?
Aberdeen won 10 of their opening 11 Scottish Premiership matches, however, Jimmy Thelin's side are winless in their most recent 12 games; after being top of the table, Dons are now fourth, 25 points off Celtic, 12 behind Rangers and two behind Dundee United
Thursday 16 January 2025 11:54, UK
In November, Aberdeen fans were daring to dream about a title tilt. Jimmy Thelin's unbeaten side had won 10 of their first 11 league matches and were joint-top of the Scottish Premiership.
However, the stuff of dreams has turned into a nightmare run. Since their 4-1 victory against Dundee, the Dons have not won a league match. Eight defeats in their last 12 outings - most recently a 3-0 loss away to Rangers - has seen the club drop to fourth in the table and fall 25 points behind Celtic.
Every fan and Thelin himself would have expected a bump or two in the road at some stage but no one would have imagined such a dramatic drop-off in results - so what has gone wrong at Pittodrie?
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Injury woes, defensive frailties or a lack of goals would be an issue for most teams - but the Dons seem to be experiencing all three, creating a "problem" for Thelin as he looks to lead the club back to winning ways.
Thelin: Challenging times at Aberdeen
Even when the Dons were demolishing all that came in their path, they were still failing to keep clean sheets. Just three came during that unbeaten league run and only one has followed since.
When top goalscorer at the time Pape Gueye was ruled out with injury and the regular flow of goals from Jamie McGrath, Kevin Nisbet, Topi Keskinen and co stopped, those defensive woes were highlighted, as was the lack of a cutting-edge up front.
Aberdeen - who sold prolific striker Bojan Miovski for £6.8m in the summer - have had more of the ball in their last 12 games compared to their first 11 but have created fewer clear-cut chances, scored fewer goals and not won any matches.
Added to that, Thelin's got some big injuries to deal with. Gavin Molloy, Vicente Besuijen, Ester Sokler and Dimitar Mitov have all joined Gueye on the sidelines.
However, Thelin - who has been in the job for six months - is refusing to panic despite their poor form.
"It's football, sometimes we have some problems we have to solve - in the team, in our game and in our performance," he told Sky Sports.
"We have to improve. Even when we were winning games we saw some things we have to improve in the long run to be a stable, consistent team to fight for the European spot.
"Then we get some injuries but still I think we have a good squad and it's going to also give an opportunity to other players.
"I think we are in a challenging time. We have to raise the standards of our own game, not focus too much on the opponent, but what we have to do better with the ball and without the ball.
"We have a job to do and keep pushing for this and try to be better all the time
"I can still see a team out there who are really, really fighting and running for each other. We just need to find the rhythm as a team and be better with the ball because they're trying in a challenging time to give everything they can."
Will January signings boost the squad?
Thelin has been quick to add to his group in the transfer window. Defenders Alfie Dorrington, Alexander Jensen and Kristers Tobers, plus winger Jeppe Okkels have all arrived and the search for a striker is well underway.
"We are in this together," he said when asked about the backing he has had from the club's board.
"We have a long-term journey to make together. We have a clear picture of how we want to look in the future and how we want to build the team and what we want to achieve.
"You always have an ambition to improve the team. It can be through training, that time will help the players to grow to be better.
"Also sometimes you need recruitment 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 build a team for the long term with recruitment.
"It was important to get the deals done as we had some challenges with injuries to the back-line.
"Alexander is a longer-term signing and can play on the left and right. Alfie has speed, game understanding and good dedication.
"Okkels I know from the past. He's a good winger, he has capacity to run a lot and can go behind the back line. Tobers has good leadership and is also good on the ball but he can also help other players to grow."
Boyd: Something not right at 'embarrassing' Aberdeen
Speaking after the Dons' defeat to Rangers, Sky Sports' Kris Boyd said:
"You go back to the start of the season with Aberdeen - they got a lot of plaudits and rightly so, but this run is now getting to the stage where you're going to ask some serious questions.
"Barry Robson lost his job after four wins in 14, this is no wins in 12 now for Jimmy Thelin. He started the season really well and there might be an acceptance from Aberdeen fans to sit there and clap their team off, but that was embarrassing.
"You come to Ibrox, it's a big game and you want to fly into tackles. Aberdeen were so passive and I'm not just saying that tonight, it was the same against Hearts.
"There's a lack of intensity about this Aberdeen team. At the start of the season teams struggled to deal with them because of their intensity, they were up on second balls and didn't allow teams to settle.
"You can say confidence is an issue, confidence doesn't stop you running about. I don't know what's going on but there's something not right at Aberdeen right now."
Former Aberdeen defender Andy Considine said on Sky Sports:
"I think everyone is still 100 per cent fully behind Jimmy Thelin.
"The players are. Clearly, the chairman (Dave Cormack), Alan Burrows (CEO) and Steven Gunn (director of football) are working extremely hard behind the scenes. They're backing him, they're spending some serious money which they haven't done over the past number of years to try and bolster the squad.
"I don't think there's any issue really, I do think we've got a really quality squad and really good individual players who are just not having the impact they did two months ago."
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on Sky Sports added:
"You have to look at the season as a whole and ask 'are they ahead of where we all thought they would be'? I think they are.
"It is such a strange season. I cannot remember another team in Scottish football where there's been such a contrast."
What is the view from the stands?
Speaking to Sky Sports, Aberdeen fan Gary Scott from the ABZ Football Podcast said: "What you see now is a team who are shorn of confidence and belief and that is manifesting itself in performances and results.
"What we saw at the start of the season was results covering up obvious deficiencies in the squad and 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 is only natural to get caught up in the fanfare but now scoring goals has dried up too.
"It comes down to fine margins in games. In this run we have been on top in some matches but failed to convert and then there has been a spell when the opposition is in control and they make us pay.
"We're not taking chances and still shipping stupid goals. No matter what anyone says, from second to 12th this league is competitive and you will not get points if you don't take chances.
"I think Thelin knew all along how big a challenge he faced when he came into the club in the summer. If nothing else, the last run of games will have crystalised that for him. He'll know who the characters are with the mentality to cope with the demands. He will now know who will be on the journey that we have all heard about.
"Looking at the bigger picture, at the start of this season I would have taken a comfortable top-six finish as a sign of progress.
"It becomes galling when it opens up for you. There's Rangers, who look like they want to gift second spot away, but we shoot ourselves in the foot. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways and continue to improve the squad in January."