Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin outlines plan to prevent Conference League burnout
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has a strategy to protect his rebuilt squad from Euro burnout to ensure the Dons can balance Uefa Conference League and domestic commitments.
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin insists he has a strategy to avoid European burnout for both experienced veterans and rising young stars.
Thelin has named a 25-man squad for the Uefa Conference League, a campaign which will comprise six games up to mid-December.
The Dons kick-off their Conference League campaign with a home clash against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday, October 2.
They then face away trips to AEK Athens (Greece), AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) and Sparta Prague (Czech Republic).
Thelin’s side also play Strasbourg (France) and Noah (Armenia) at Pittodrie.
During the 2023-24 Conference League groups, the Dons, managed by Barry Robson, struggled to cope with the demands of balancing Euro action with domestic commitments.
In 2023, Aberdeen won only one domestic fixture from eight immediately following a Euro match.
Thelin on getting ‘energy levels right’
Thelin is determined to avoid a repeat of scenario where the rigours of Euro competition derailed Premiership form.
He aims to achieve this by not overloading the oldest – and youngest – players in his Conference League squad.
Thelin said: “We need to get the energy levels right to compete in the Premiership on a Sunday after a European game.
“That is even if we are on a journey away from home and have to travel back.
“Sometimes, as a staff, you have to identify with a really young player ways that you don’t overload them.
“But you also have to give them a chance.
“Or if it’s someone who is maybe a little bit older and needs more recovery, this is the balance we have to find.
“The players themselves also have to grow and get this energy out every week.”
Thelin delivered European qualification, and the Scottish Cup, in his first season as Aberdeen manager.
Rebuilding squad for Euro campaign
However, the Dons failed to reach the Europa League having lost the play-off 5-2 to Romanian club FCSB.
There was the consolation of dropping into the league phase of the Conference League.
In a busy transfer window, Thelin signed 13 players in a bid to build a squad strong enough to cope with Europe and domestic commitments.
The summer window concluded with the transfer deadline return of Scottish Cup hero Kevin Nisbet on a £250,000 transfer from English Championship club Millwall.
Scotland international Nisbet, who scored 14 times on loan at Pittodrie last season, penned a three-year deal with the Dons.
A blockbuster deadline day concluded with the season-long loan capture of Swedish international winger Jesper Karlsson from Bologna.
Italian Serie A club Bologna paid around £10million to sign Karlsson from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in 2023.
A further signing coup was delivered 24 hours after the window closed when Aberdeen landed Scotland international midfielder Stuart Armstrong on a two-year deal.
Armstrong, 33, was a free agent, having left Sheffield Wednesday at the end of last season.
Improving on the European stage
Aberdeen have qualified for Europe in three of the last five seasons.
Thelin is determined to deliver continental action every year – and thrive on that stage.
He said: “It is so important for the players to live European football, otherwise it’s impossible to be better at it.
“First of all, it is vital to put these demands on ourselves every year. We will try to be in Europe every season – not just this one.
“The more time you get exposed to this environment as a club, as a staff and as a player, you’re going to learn and grow with this, and also get the mental capacity to recover from a European game for the Premiership.”
[Source: Press and Journal]
