Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin is ready to go back to the drawing board as he bids to address his side’s poor away form.
Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat by Livingston means the Dons will go into the World Cup break with just two wins from their eight away matches in the Premiership so far.
The struggles on the road are not restricted to this campaign, with the club having won just three times in the last 26 away league matches.
The Dons bring their first part of the campaign to a close with Saturday’s home game against Dundee United, and Goodwin plans on using the break for the World Cup to review and redress the approach to away games.
The Aberdeen boss said: “We’ve had a lot of plaudits for the wins we’ve had and the amount of goals we’ve scored at Pittodrie.
“The home fans have been entertained with the volume of goals they’ve seen, but on the road we haven’t picked up the points.
“We need overall to have a better return than we’ve had up to now. During the World Cup break, we’ll maybe have to come up with a different gameplan away from home.
“Maybe we can’t be as open and expansive as we want to be and be a little bit cuter in how we set up – and it’s up to me to figure that out.”
Dons have struggled to take Pittodrie form on the road
The contrast with the Dons’ results at home and points taken on the road is stark.
An impressive 15 points from a possible 18 have been accumulated at Pittodrie so far, compared to a measly seven from a possible 24 away from home.
Aberdeen’s free-flowing style has resulted in 21 home goals being scored and only six conceded, but the tale is the total opposite away from Pittodrie, with seven scored and a worrying 17 conceded.
Bojan Miovski has 10 goals for the season in the Premiership, but nine of them have come at Pittodrie.
The frustration at the discrepancy in results away from home compared to Pittodrie is clear, but the manager insists any criticism should be directed at him and not his squad.
He said: “The players go out in a way I ask them to play, so any blame or negativity which comes the team’s way should come my way as I’m asking them to play a certain way.
“I want them to be recognised as an offensive, entertaining team and we’ve seen that at Pittodrie, but we need to do the basics better on the road and get back to keeping clean sheets.”
Slow start cost Aberdeen dear at Livingston
Goodwin’s focus on the approach of his team away from home is understandable, but identifying one issue in particular is challenging.
There is no real pattern with three goals being conceded in first half stoppage time and three in the final 10 minutes of games.
Eight of the 17 away goals have been conceded in the first half, but Tuesday was the first time since the opening day defeat at champions Celtic where the Dons have conceded an early goal on the road.
Stephen Welsh’s goal in the third minute at Celtic Park was the only time the Dons had conceded in the opening 25 minutes prior to Jack Fitzwater’s sixth-minute opener for Livi in midweek.
But what is easy to pinpoint is how pivotal the horrendous start at Tony Macaroni Arena against Livingston was in Aberdeen’s downfall in West Lothian.
That was a new development in the most erratic of campaigns so far.
A wretched start resulted in two goals being conceded in the opening 17 minutes as the Dons struggled to deal with the threat of the home side.
Aberdeen improved towards the break before laying siege to the Livi goal in the second half, but ultimately were left to rue their dismal start.
Goodwin said: “It’s a sore one. Prior to the game we had won four out of the last five, but the slow start is something we’ll speak about.
“We’ll ask questions and try to figure out why we didn’t start the game in a better manner.
“It’s impossible to put my finger on it. It was completely out of character, individuals made mistakes they don’t normally make.
“The slow start, the mistakes we made, the pressure we brought on ourselves put us on the back foot.
“It’s very frustrating.”
One last push before the World Cup break
Goodwin clearly has much to ponder in the weeks ahead, but his immediate focus is on Saturday’s game against Dundee United at Pittodrie.
The final game before the break in play is an important one for the Dons, who will go into the shutdown in third place if they pick up all three points.
The Dons boss said: “After the Rangers game, when we saw the three fixtures coming up against Hibs (4-1 home win), Livingston and Dundee United, I’d have probably snapped your hand off for seven points.
“We wanted all nine, but it’s not always that easy.
“We have an opportunity on Saturday to make amends for Tuesday and, if we play to the level we did in the second 45 minutes against Livingston, we will give ourselves enough chances to win the game.”
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