McInnes refuses to blame his players
DEREK McInnes has refused to criticise his Aberdeen players despite their poor display in the 3-0 defeat to Celtic at Pittodrie last night – and has vowed to make sure they bounce back against Ross County on Saturday.
McInnes’ team were outclassed by Brendan Rodgers’ side and fell three points behind them at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table.
However, the Aberdeen manager, whose team have now lost their last eight games against Celtic, is focused on ensuring they follow up the painful reverse with a victory.
“There’s no criticism of my players for the way the game played out,” he said.
“There was a huge gulf and we want to be as competitive as we can. When Celtic play like that there’s a huge gulf domestically.
“I won’t think about that game. When I go to bed it’s about Ross County and there’s no hangover. It was a sore one, we’ve just got to make sure there is no hangover going into the next game
“We’ve been very good in the league and we intend to be good again. There wasn’t a seat to be had and that’s down to how well the players have done.
“We’ve created an expectation but when Celtic play like that no one can go toe-to-toe. That’s the harsh reality. But we can do better, we’re not without blame.”
McInnes added: “It was a tough watch. For myself, the fans, it was a tough evening for my players. I felt for them, tried to set them up to get some sort of result.
“The only solace was when they play like that they’d do it to any team. They gave us a lesson. I can still be annoyed at the goals we lost. But they were very good.”