Sivert Heltne Nilsen has wasted little time in establishing himself as one of the key cogs in Jimmy Thelin’s Aberdeen machine.
The rampant Reds made it eight wins out of eight on Sunday with a comprehensive and impressive 2-0 win against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie.
Pape Habib Gueye was the headline-maker with two outstanding headed goals – but the understated and vital work of Nilsen should not be overlooked.
Every time I’ve watched the midfielder, he has been very impressive.
He reads the game well, wins the ball back quickly, his range of passing is good and he always seems to be available to receive the ball.
He is also clearly very vocal on the pitch during the game, too.
He has captain written all over him, but the Aberdeen manager is fortunate to have another guy who ticks that box perfectly in Graeme Shinnie.
We knew little of Nilsen prior to his arrival in Scotland, but it’s not hard to see why Thelin wanted him on board.
The qualities I’ve mentioned show why he was captain at Brann.
It also reinforces why Thelin signed him and named him captain at Elfsborg previously, and tried to bring him back to Sweden last year.
He’s a class act and alongside Shinnie the Dons have a tandem who seem to be working perfectly in sync.
They are experienced, heavily involved in everything and dominating games. They will be a formidable challenge for any team they face this season.
Dons also have strength in attack
While Nilsen and Shinnie pull the strings in midfield, the array of attacking players have been causing teams problems and Killie really struggled to contain the Dons on Sunday.
Both of Gueye’s goals were top drawer. He generated so much power when he headed home the opener, and I can’t stress enough how impressive the second one was.
To be running away from goal and then angling a header into the net like he did was fantastic – I’d happily have accepted having either of those headers on my cv!
The arrival of Kevin Nisbet on loan from Millwall will only add to the threat of the team.
He’s a proven commodity in Scottish football and has returned to the Premiership with a point to prove after a difficult year in England.
That can only be a good thing for Thelin.
While Aberdeen were well worth their win on Sunday, I did have a degree of sympathy for former Dons boss Derek McInnes over Brad Lyons’ red card.
I think a yellow would have sufficed as Lyons was risking injury to himself rather than Ester Sokler with his challenge.
I don’t know if the dismissal altered the course of the game, but Aberdeen made their extra man count as they added a second goal to put the game beyond Killie.
Momentum is with Aberdeen
When the fixtures were announced, I hoped the Dons would make a good start, but to see Thelin put his identity on the squad as quickly as he has is fantastic.
He’s an experienced manager and is not naïve.
As the saying goes, a pat on the back is only six inches away from a boot up the backside and there will be challenges ahead for Aberdeen.
But for now, there is much for Aberdeen fans to be positive about.
Their team is winning every week, scoring goals, keeping clean sheets and players are fighting for places.
There is even the prospect of being even stronger by the time the window closes on Friday.
Pittodrie must be a very happy place to be right now.
A big week ahead for Ross County
The last team Ross County boss Don Cowie would want to face after a weekend mauling by Rangers is a bang in-form Aberdeen team.
The Staggies have had a challenging week with the shock of their 1-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat by Spartans compounded by a chastening 6-0 loss to Rangers at Hampden on Saturday.
We can’t pretend otherwise – it was a dreadful defensive display from County at the national stadium.
I know managers like to take the pressure off their sides when to go to Celtic or Rangers by talking of those games being a free hit or anything gained being a bonus.
But fans expect their team to be competitive. There’s no shame in losing a game 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1, but being hit for six is a problem.
The nature of the defeat is the biggest cause for concern for the County boss, and with a few days left in this window, I expect we’ll see one or two new arrivals on board before the weekend.
It’s needed in my view.
Aberdeen fans will be up in their thousands in celebratory mood after their side’s fine start to the season.
If County can get a result against the Dons, it could kick-start their season.
But something has to change as a repeat of the performance at Hampden will make for a long and uncomfortable day on Saturday in Dingwall for the home side.
Caley Thistle need a goal threat
It is becoming Groundhog Day analysing Caley Thistle’s results in League One.
The wait for a win continues for Duncan Ferguson’s side and it’s not hard to see where the problem lies.
Played four, scored three, conceded three, drawn three and lost one.
The goals just are not coming for Inverness at the minute, and it’s been a problem for the team going back to last season in the Championship.
Saturday’s goalless draw at Kelty Hearts summed up the campaign so far perfectly for the Highlanders and I can understand why fans are feeling frustrated.
They have a decent squad on paper, a full-time one at that, and they should certainly be capable of winning games.
I appreciate the uncertainty behind the scenes has been difficult, but the focus of the manager and players should be firmly on winning games.
With Alan Savage making inroads in steering the club back in the right direction the focus, quite rightly, will be shifting back to what is happening on the pitch.
Queen of the South are the visitors to Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. Here’s hoping the wait for a league win can finally come to an end this weekend.
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