Aberdeen centre-back Ross McCrorie admits boss Stephen Glass was right to slate the defence for showing ‘softness’.
In the aftermath of the 1-0 derby loss at Dundee United, boss Glass said there was a ‘softness’ in the back-line which was continually costing the Reds.
Aberdeen have secured just two clean sheets in 21 games in all competitions this season.
McCrorie, 23, reckons his gaffer got it spot on and accepts Aberdeen must eradicate the weakness immediately.
The defender accepts it must start against Celtic at Parkhead on Sunday.
McCrorie said: “There has been a softness.
“Quite a few of the goals we’ve lost this season have been soft and it’s something we’ve got to rectify as a team, as a whole.
“It’s just the small details. There are too many individual mistakes that are killing us in games and we need to back each other.
“If somebody makes a mistake, we need to be able to cover them. Definitely, it’s something we’ve got to rectify.”
Two wins in 15 but confidence high
Aberdeen have secured just two victories in the last 15 games and have dropped to eighth in the Premiership table after back-to-back defeats.
McCrorie insists confidence has not been damaged by a return of just nine points from the last 12 Premiership matches.
He said: “If if you look at our team, the squad we’ve got and the depth we’ve got, we’ve got real quality players and have brought in real quality players this season.
“That’s what gives us confidence to go into a game and put in a performance.
“We go into every game confident.
“When you look at our team on paper, we’ve got real quality players.”
“Celtic have been great over the years and it will be a challenge for us.
“However, I know every game we go into we have a confidence in our team that we can put on a performance and hopefully come out with the three points.”
Rectify the recent loss to Celtic
Aberdeen lost out to a late goal from Jota when the two sides met at Pittodrie on October 3, with Celtic winning 2-1.
McCrorie admits the Dons let the points slip away in that clash and aims to rectify that by securing a win at Parkhead.
He said: “There’s been a few games we thought have got away.
“We never came out with the three points (against Celtic) and it’s the small details in games that we need to pick up on.
“Celtic undone us in the last five minutes of the game and there’s been quite a few games that’s happened in.
“We had a good performance last time, but we never came out with the three points and that’s something we’re looking to rectify this time.”
The threat of Kyogo Furuhashi
Japan international attacker Kyogo Furuhashi netted the opener for Celtic at Pittodrie with an audacious chested goal after just 12 minutes.
The 26-year-old, a summer signing from Vissel Kobe, has netted 13 times already this season.
McCrorie accepts a defence that has secured just two clean sheets in 21 and been accused of ‘softness’ must be on red alert to the danger of Furahashi.
He said: “Kyogo has been terrific for Celtic so far this season.
“Not just him, but they’ve got top quality players all over their team.
“We’ll focus on ourselves and do our video analysis and go in and try and execute our game plan as best we can.”
Return of Scott Brown to Parkhead
Aberdeen captain Scott Brown has moved from a midfield role into the centre of a back three in recent weeks as the Reds try to negotiate a defensive injury crisis.
Calvin Ramsay (thigh), Declan Gallagher (hamstring), Andy Considine (cruciate ligament surgery) and Mikey Devlin (ankle) are all out of the Celtic game.
Left-back Jack MacKenzie is battling to be fit for Parkhead, having been substituted at half-time in the 1-0 loss at Dundee United with an ankle injury that had ruled him out of the previous four games.
Scotland international centre-back David Bates is set to return to face Celtic, having missed the Dundee United game due to illness.
Skipper Brown will return to former club Celtic for the first time since signing on at Aberdeen in the summer on a two-year contract.
🎙️ "Well that would have been quite something, a Scott Brown goal against Celtic!"
Scott Brown has just come off but almost put Aberdeen ahead against his former club. Will there be a winner?
📺 Watch the final 15 minutes of Aberdeen vs Celtic live on Sky Sports Football pic.twitter.com/9HZezMxajS
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) October 3, 2021
Celtic legend Brown won 22 trophies at Parkhead and as captain led the club to nine-in-a-row and a quadruple treble.
Brown came close to scoring against Celtic when he played against his former club for the first time in the narrow loss at Pittodrie in October.
Aberdeen is Brown’s only focus
McCrorie insists Brown’s entire focus will be on beating his former club to get Aberdeen back on track.
He said: “It will be a special occasion for him, because he’s obviously had a great history with Celtic.
“I know Broony’s mentality and he will go in focused on Aberdeen and trying to get the three points like in any other game.
“That’s just the mentality Broony’s got.
“He wants to go out and win. Whatever team he plays in, he’s going to give you his all and show a high performance.
“He’s strong mentally. It’s not going to affect him.
“He’s a top pro and Aberdeen is his full focus. We’re just grateful to have a player of his quality in our ranks.”