The Dons are heading back to Hampden Park for the first time in two years; a just reward for what has been an adventurous and exciting start to the campaign.
After getting off to a flier against Partick Thistle, they were never in serious danger, and although the visitors did get a cheap goal, it was, overall, an accomplished display.
Having not seen the team in the flesh since the early part of the season, I was at Pittodrie in midweek, and last Sunday for the win over Hearts.
The 180 minutes I witnessed backed up much of what friends had told me. Aberdeen are a very different beast these days, a vibrant attacking force which is exciting to watch, but the defensive fragility of recent years remains in place.
That, of course, is much less of a concern if you’re scoring goals, and Jim Goodwin has certainly got that part of the equation correct, particularly at home.
The eight games at Pittodrie so far have produced 26 Dons goals; last season it took until January 22, and 15 matches played, before they hit that mark.
In the Premiership, it’s 17 goals in five outings. It wasn’t until February 9 that the Aberdeen fans saw that total reached last time out, with a dozen games ticked-off.
That is a remarkable turnaround. After too many seasons that lacked a spark, the fuse has been lit by the manager, and he has taken the shackles off.
It helps when you have the right players to carry out your tactics, and Jim looks to have signed well in that respect, as well as getting more out of the guys already in place.
Luis Lopes and Bojan Miovski will net plenty, Vicente Besuijen will also chip in significantly, and there is considerable back-up, both in terms of scoring and creating, in the shape of Kennedy, Watkins and Morris. The return of Connor Barron adds another dimension, and Leighton Clarkson will also have a big part to play.
Further attacking options are offered by the full-backs, or more likely, wing-backs, and ironically, that may well be the way ahead to make the side more solid in defence.
Jim admitted after the Partick game that he should have stuck with the back three which had helped secure the tie by half time. He made changes for the right reasons – Miovski was a booking away from missing the semi-final and Clarkson had a slight niggle – but it did have a bearing on the performance.
Ross McCrorie can play anywhere in the team, and he is probably the best defender in the squad, but the other full-back options, Richardson, Coulson and MacKenzie, are all better further up the pitch. Playing a three puts less onus on them defensively, and allows them more freedom to join in on the attacking side of the game.
It is going to be very interesting to see what Jim chooses to do.
Having addressed the lack of goals at Pittodrie, the manager now has to sort out the away form.
A similar approach on the road might well be the way ahead, and having steadied the ship following the Tannadice humiliation, Fir Park this afternoon would be a good place to start.
VAR won’t stop the debate
Scottish football has tiptoed into the brave new world of VAR, a long overdue addition to our game, and one which will go some way towards righting the wrongs of our match officials.
It will not do away with discussion and debate; how could it?
For a start, many of the calls being made by the VAR referee will be subjective, and we have all seen decisions made that have left us bewildered even after the footage has been reviewed.
There should however be less ‘human error’ from now on.
Where VAR does work is with matters of fact. Is a player offside? Was that challenge committed inside or outside the penalty area? Was there a case of mistaken identity?
The remit is a fairly limited one, but it covers the main areas of concern, and its implementation has to be welcomed, even if the first major controversy is certain to be just around the corner.
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