The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
HOOPS RUN RIOT AGAINST ABJECTABERDEEN
Donsfailto turnupas Celticturn onthestyle
There are ways to lose matches. Aberdeen opted for the worst possible option against Celtic yesterday as they went down with a whimper to a rampant Hoops team before a shellshocked home support.
Pittodrie Stadium continues to be Celtic’s home from home as they swept Aberdeen aside to record their eighth straight win in the Granite City.
It was the apparent acceptance of what was happening that was most galling to the home side as Celtic, despite playing in the Europa League on Thursday, played with a zip and poise Aberdeen failed to match.
It is truly remarkable that a team boasting six recognised defenders on the starting line-up was, to all intent and purposes, incapable of defending in an opening 45 minutes that can best be described as awful from Aberdeen – as even Dons boss Derek McInnes admitted.
“We were awful. All week I’ve expected us to be far better than we were but from 2-0 the game was done and the confidence was gone,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting that type of performance. The supporters should expect better and hopefully we can give them better.
“I spoke to you about Celtic’s squad and ability to rotate but I saw them putting so much into the Lazio game as a real advantage for us.
“I wanted a quick tempo, contact, but good players were allowed to be good players today.
“We spoke about not letting Celtic enjoy the game and they found a way.
“I’m looking for a standard of performance and we were miles off that today.”
It had started almost encouragingly – until the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. The Dons were competitive and organised in the opening 10 minutes, restricting space and pressing high up the pitch but that good start was brought to a halt in the 11th minute.
There appeared little danger as Odsonne Edouard collected the ball 35 yards out with his back to goal but he was given space to turn away by Mikey Devlin before setting off on a surging run that seemed to take him past the Dons defence with ease and his finish matched his run as he beat Joe Lewis with a fine low finish from the edge of the box.
The ease with which the Aberdeen defence was breached was alarming but a bad start soon became a nightmarish one as the Dons found themselves 2-0 down with only 15 minutes on the clock.
Jeremie Frimpong’s pass sent Edouard clear in the box and his effort deflected off Shay Logan into the path of right
back Frimpong who had continued his run and managed to scramble the ball past Lewis.
Frimpong’s energy down the right and Kristoffer Ajer’s ability to make 40 yard runs unchallenged were the two main reasons that enabled the champions to overload Aberdeen’s midfield.
Aberdeen had no answer to the pace, passing and movement of the visitors and the gulf in quality told as the Hoops increased their lead in the 37 th minute.
Tom Rogic’s ball split the red defence and Mohamed Elyounoussi took a touch before leaving the ball to James Forrest to run
forward and fire past Lewis.
This was awful, static defending of the worst kind from Aberdeen, which got even worse before the interval as they found themselves 4-0 down.
Devlin was outmuscled by Elyounoussi, who held off the feeble challenge from the Dons defender
to chest down Rogic’s cross before curling the ball high past the bewildered Lewis.
You don’t need three guesses for what the reaction of the home support was as referee John Beaton’s whistle blew for the interval.
James Wilson and Craig Bryson replaced the ineffective Niall
McGinn and Connor McLennan for the second half but the Aberdeen manager could have taken off any of his players. It was clear by then that the damage had already been done.
The second half was a non-event. For that, the battered and bruised Dons should be grateful.