Defender Nicky Devlin issues ‘pressure’ warning as Aberdeen’s disastrous start to the Premiership campaign continues

Aberdeen defender Nicky Devlin insists boss Jimmy Thelin’s formation switch worked against Motherwell, despite suffering another damaging defeat.

For the first time in a Premiership match since arriving at Pittodrie last summer Thelin ditched his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation for the crunch trip to Motherwell.

The Swede went with a 3-4-2-1 but a disastrous collapse in injury time saw the Dons concede two last gasp goals to lose 2-0.

Devlin warns if players cannot handle the pressure of the demand to haul Aberdeen out of their form crash, they shouldn’t be at the club.

Aberdeen are rock bottom of the Premiership having failed to win a league match, or score a goal, in six fixtures.

The Dons’ stoppage time nightmare at Fir Park began when keeper Dimitar Mitov misjudged a harmless shot for the opener.

Devlin reckons Aberdeen should have capitalised on Thelin’s new formation to be in front before Mitov’s mistake.

Devlin on Thelin’s formation change

He insists it wasn’t the Bulgarian international keeper’s error that cost the Dons a potential morale boosting win, but wrong decisions from outfield players.

Devlin, 31, said: “The new formation helped because I don’t think Motherwell had too many clear-cut opportunities.

“We knew under their new manager Motherwell are very good on the ball and move it well.

“So we had to try and stop their key players getting on the ball and hurting us.

“For large spells the formation did that.

“However tactics, formations and all that, I don’t think it comes into question when we make bad decisions in key areas.

“The manager can’t really do much about decisions we make in the final third – that’s down to the decisions we the players make on the park.

“If we got something from this game I don’t think too many people would have said it was a massive injustice or that it was against the run of play.

“We made enough opportunities to win the game and worked hard.

“You saw the effort was there.”

As the game moved into stoppage time the teams were level at 0-0.

Aberdeen’s damaging winless start to the Premiership campaign seemed set to continue but there were positives, and a point, to take from the performance.

‘Dimi has been brilliant for us’

However Scottish Cup final penalty saving hero Mitov’s uncharacteristic error sparked a late collapse.

In the 92nd minute Mitov allowed a seemingly harmless Johnny Koutroumbis shot to  squirm away from him.

Devlin said: “Dimi’s been brilliant for us and has made some fantastic saves.

“I’m sure he will maybe be the first to say he should have done better with the goal.

“But from our point of view as a team we should have been at least a goal in front by then.

“And maybe that mistake would have meant a draw.

“But ultimately I think we lost the game because we made wrong decisions.”

Aberdeen suffered another blow when a penalty was awarded to Motherwell following a VAR review for a foul on Esapa Osong by Alfie Dorrington.

Players must handle the pressure

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos converted the spot-kick in the 97th minute.

The pressure is ramping up on Thelin and his players to haul the club out of the Premiership form tailspin.

Stretching back into last season the Dons are now 10 games without a Premiership win, taking only one point from a possible 30.

Asked if anxiety amid the pressure to end the slump is stifling Aberdeen’s play, Devlin said: “We maybe make decisions that you wouldn’t normally make and that could play a part.

“But when you play for a club like Aberdeen, you have to win games.

“And when you go on poor runs and you can’t deal with a bit of pressure, then Aberdeen are not the club to play for.

“You have to deal with the pressure.

“You have to be able to deal with the stress we are under just now because of the run we are on.

“I wouldn’t like to use that as an excuse for the reasons we made the decisions we did.”

Next up for Aberdeen is a daunting Uefa Conference League opening fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk at Pittodrie on Thursday.

Uefa Conference League challenge

The Ukrainian club have a formidable European pedigree and have won against Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Champions League in recent years.

Aberdeen face six fixtures in the Conference League as they will also play AEK Athens (Greece), AEK Larnaca (Cyprus), Sparta Prague (Czechia), Strasbourg (France) and Noah (Armenia).

Despite the dismal Premiership form Devlin believes Thelin, with 13 signings in the summer, has built a squad that can cope with Euro league action.

He said: “I would like to think we have the squad to manage it.

“The club have really strengthened in numbers as well as quality.

“We do have good numbers now and hopefully we will be able to deal with the workload.

“Last time we were in the group stages (Conference League, 2023-24) we maybe didn’t have the numbers to deal with that but now I think we do.

“We also have boys coming back in like Kristers Tobers.

“So I would like to think we have the squad to deal with it.”

[Source: Press and Journal]