As Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass continues to feel the heat from his own supporters, Dons-supporting media pundits have piled the pressure on his team ahead of tonight’s game against Celtic.
Aberdeen come into tonight’s match in a bad way. Currently 7th in the Premiership, Glass’ side has only won 1 of their last 7 league matches. Goals have also been a real problem with them failing to score more than 1 goal in 6 of those 7 matches.
Granted, their home form has been a bit more solid. They’ve only lost 1 of their last 8 at Pittodrie, with home comforts almost certainly saving Glass’ job.
But as they head into tonight’s match, the pressure is being ramped up on the Dons to perform and show some spirit. First up was Willie Miller, speaking in his Press and Journal column, as he demanded his former club show no fear tonight:
“Aberdeen must show no fear when hosting in-form Premiership leaders Celtic at Pittodrie tomorrow evening.
“Face up to the challenge ahead of you and embrace it. That’s how it should be looked at. Players should be in football to test themselves against the very best. And, when that test comes, try to come out on top. It is not going to be easy, but that is the challenge that lies ahead.
“When the game is played with an open approach that Rangers and Celtic bring, then it seems to suit Aberdeen better. I’m sure manager Stephen Glass and his staff will be reinforcing to the team that, although Celtic are playing at a very high level, Aberdeen have already pushed Rangers hard at home recently.”
Aberdeen feeling the pressure to perform against Celtic tonight
Fellow Aberdeen favourite Duncan Shearer was next to outline how important it is for Glass’ side to perform tonight. He’s labelled tonight’s game along with this weekend’s clash at Motherwell as “pivotal” for the football club. He also had a go at Glass for stating that some players believe they’re better than they are as things unravel up north [Press and Journal].
You could see that Glass has already taken Miller’s comments into consideration. After all, he sounds ready to attack Celtic tonight in what could be an extremely dangerous approach from the Dons boss.
Celtic just need to be wary tonight. The criticism their rivals are receiving could have a knock-on effect regarding how they approach the game.
After all, Aberdeen fans could start to get frustrated if they notice Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers knocking the ball around the backline with ease. Instead, they could look to put a high press on to try and unsettle the Hoops and get their supporters onside early.
But that comes with extreme risks. Look at what happened to Motherwell on Sunday when they tried to get at the Hoops back 4. They were easily picked off and it ended up being chances galore for Ange Postecoglou’s men.
Aberdeen are in a simply horrible position heading into tonight’s match. All eyes then on whether they perform for their manager. So long as Celtic keep themselves focused, however, we should be absolutely fine.
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