Former Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood believes acclimatising will be key to the Dons’ hopes of having a sustained run in the Europa League next season.
The price of failing to finish second in the Scottish Premiership next season will be a July 3 start in European competition this summer for manager Derek McInnes and his players.
Calderwood, pictured below, who led the Dons to the last 32 of the Europa League in 2007-08, recommended spending extra time in the Ukraine to prepare for the crucial second leg against Dnipro in the qualifying round seven years ago.
His wish was granted and his players responded by drawing 1-1 to go through to the group stages on the away goals rule after Darren Mackie’s £1million goal. Aberdeen went on to qualify for the knockout stages before being eliminated by Bayern Munich.
Calderwood believes preparation time was critical to the team’s success and hopes McInnes will be allowed to ensure his players are ready for the challenges lie ahead.
Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia or Macedonia are just some of the destinations which could lie ahead for Aberdeen when the draw for the first qualifying round is made on June 23. Calderwood knows the importance of being prepared.
He said: “If there is one piece of advice I could pass on to Derek it’s to get his players out to the away leg as early as possible, especially if it’s going to be a long flight or in extreme heat.
“To lose second place with a last minute goal in the manner they did on Sunday was hard to take for everyone at the club, but it’s gone now and the focus has to be on making sure the team is ready for the first game on July 3.
“The difference between going through and going out could hinge on how much preparation time Derek and the players get in the away leg.
“When we were drawn with Dnipro the first thing I said to the club was we needed to spend as much time out there as possible to ensure we had recovered from the long haul flight.
“We were in the Ukraine for 48 hours before we played Dnipro. It made for an expensive trip, but the club made its money back and more thanks to Darren Mackie’s goal which helped us go through to the group stage.
“The performance of the players in that game was the best defensive display any team I’ve managed has given me.”
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