Aberdeen hero Willie Miller has raised concerns about manager Jimmy Thelin's tactics following a disappointing performance against Celtic at Hampden Park, where the Dons were soundly beaten in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.
After a stellar start to the domestic season, Aberdeen found themselves three goals down by half-time, ultimately conceding another three in the second half.
Thelin's side, who had been widely praised for their attacking flair and never-say-die attitude since the Swede took the helm this summer, struggled to cope with Celtic's relentless pressure, leading to a comprehensive defeat.
Miller criticised the team's naive setup, suggesting that the attacking 4-2-3-1 formation left them extremely vulnerable.
He pointed out that the wingers, Luis 'Duk' Lopes and Topi Keskinen, were ineffective both offensively and defensively, creating significant gaps that exposed holding midfielders Graeme Shinnie and Sivert Heltne Nilsen. Plus he was shocked at the positioning of Jamie McGrath in behind striker Ester Sokler.
Despite being thrashed 6-0, the majority of the Red Army still stayed back to give their squad appreciation, however Miller would've liked to have seen Thelin shore up the Dons' shape to avoid being on the end of such a damaging scoreline. 
Read more:
-
Aberdeen player ratings in comprehensive semi-final onslaught
-
Shinnie says Aberdeen have 'strong belief' they can defeat Celtic
“Yeah, I said that, though, he’s not going to change," the legendary Aberdeen centre-back told BBC Sportsound when asked if Thelin was naive by sticking with his attacking approach.
"I was surprised that McGrath was playing in a forward position. I mean, he was always in contact with Sokler.
“Now, he wasn’t a threat because Aberdeen had no control of the ball. Okay, McGrath had to take care of trying to get close to (Callum) McGregor as well, which is a really difficult task.
“But when Aberdeen had the ball and they didn’t have it on too many occasions, then he [McGrath] was up towards Sokler.
“So you had the two wide players, who for me did nothing in the game. So if you’ve got the two wide players playing wide and not really threatening, then all you can expect is that the ball is going to keep coming back.
“You’ve got McGrath who barely touched the ball in the first half, and Sokler was doing nothing. It wasn’t as if that high press was working because the back four were too deep.
“So you’ve got a huge gap between the two centre midfield players and the four forward Aberdeen players that Celtic just constantly exploited.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel