Goodwin warns Aberdeen to cut out sloppy play
JIM GOODWIN has warned his Aberdeen players they’ll need to cut out the slapdash facets of their play if they are to avoid a thumping when they open their Premiership campaign against Celtic at Parkhead on Sunday.
The Dons manager, honest in his appraisal of his side’s convincing 3-0 win over Raith Rovers in their Premier Sports League Cup group tie at Pittodrie at the weekend, still expressed concern as he saw the potential for problems against Ange Postecoglou’s team.
Goodwin’s overhaul of his squad is still ongoing, with eight new signings already – after attacking midfielder Callum Roberts joined from Notts County last night on a three-year deal – and 15 departures this summer.
But while the result against the Stark’s Park outfit – Aberdeen’s fourth straight win in the group – pleased him, he recognised flaws in their display that could prove catastrophic against the champions.
He said: “As much as there were positive elements against Raith Rovers, there were also lots of things we need to do better.
“In the opening 15-20 minutes we were very sloppy with some of our possession – poor turnovers and cheap transitions when that happened defensively. Maybe they thought it was going to be too easy early doors, but when we got to grips with that the boys were better.
“I explained to the guys at half-time that if they do that next weekend at Parkhead, they’ll find themselves 2-0 or 3-0 down at half-time and then it’s a hell of a long way back.
“So there are elements of our game that we need to get better at, but that’s only natural because it’s a relatively new group.”
Goodwin reckoned the Dons fans were buying into what he was trying to achieve with his changes, with three further players set to be recruited, though he conceded there ought to have been two or three more goals in Sunday’s tie.
He added: “All in all, I have to be satisfied because it’s very early days for this group of players. There are real signs of optimism and hope, I think.
“I don’t think we can ask for a better start to the competitive games from our point of view.
“I feel there’s nobody who is going to outmuscle and outfight us this season.
“We’ve got real leaders in the group and we have real good quality in the attacking areas where we can go and hurt teams and we’ve got pace, which is the most important thing.”
Much is expected from new striker, Bojan Miovski, a £535,000 signing from MTK Budapest, who scored from the penalty spot against Raith, although a lack of fitness meant he managed only an hour on the pitch.
But the 23-year-old North Macedonia international was excited to have started his Scottish football career well.
“I am thankful that I had the penalty goal,” he said, “as it gave me more confidence in the game and the future in the league. The guys here are so amazing as they have helped me so much in training and with everything.
“The reaction of the supporters gave me more motivation and I will give everything on the pitch to score a lot of goals.”
Miovski is eager to feature at Celtic Park and hopes the Reds can settle into their own style as he aims to show Goodwin the club was right to pay top dollar for him.
He said: “Every striker wants to be number one in the league. If I score 10 or 15 goals I want to finish in the top three.
“The club has a lot of young players here. I wanted to go to a club where I can improve.
“I think this is my best decision already.”