Last week I suggested Ross County’s tactics may have been to sit deep and force Aberdeen to break them down – I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Don Cowie set up his team to be very aggressive in Saturday’s Dingwall Premiership clash.
With a strong wind in their favour in the opening half, the Staggies made multiple attempts to win the ball high up the field and force Aberdeen to go long.
County were listed as playing a 3-4-1-2, or a 3-4-3, but (with only the benefit of TV pictures), they appeared to tweak their structure in the early phase Dons dead-ball situations to a 4-4-2 (see below).
Jordan White looked to cut the field in half and force the play to Aberdeen’s left.
Jack Grieves pressed Mats Knoester, and the rest of the County team locked on to the Dons full-backs and central midfielders. (See the screengrab below for how tight and how high the Dingwall side were.)
Long balls create potential openings for Aberdeen
Knoester did well to negotiate these situations under pressure and showed he was capable of picking out a man with flighted balls. His accurate long-ball stats for the game show 5/12 (42%) – but I only noted two in the first half-hour which did not find a red shirt.
Early on we had Kevin Nisbet flicking on to Dons team-mate Pape Gueye, while Topi Keskinen and Shayden Morris are making runs and 1v1 with the County defenders. Alexander Jensen is also charging up the right, with Nisbet offering support on the left.
In the end, Gueye (see below) lost the ball… but the idea is there: County push numbers up, Aberdeen skip the press – in a controlled manner – and capitalise on a numerical advantage.
On 13 minutes, Knoester was put under real pressure by White (below) – but still able to pick out Gueye.
The Senegalese attacker did very well to receive, turn and dribble into the County half.
The screengrab below taken just as Gueye is being fouled shows another 3v3 at the back and perhaps a situation where the referee could have let play develop for Aberdeen.
Then, after 20 minutes, Kacper Lopata showed bravery for County to intercept a potential through-ball from Keskinen after a Gueye flick-on (below).
Now, none of these pieces of play led to goalscoring chances, and on more than one occasion, the County defenders sent the ball right back where it came from.
But you can see how Aberdeen take the disadvantage of being pressed high and turn it into an advantage at the other end of the field.
Manager Jimmy Thelin was known for his accurate long balls and quick breaks with Elfsborg and this shows another string to their bow when a team presses in a coordinated manner.
Change in Aberdeen tactics v Ross County brought midfield duo into play for period
The Dons took control of the game at the Global Energy Stadium in the middle of the first half, and from the 10th minute to the 35th minute, they had 96 passes to County’s 45, 68% possession to 32% and five shots to the Staggies’ one.
Outside of those 25 minutes, it was 58% possession to County (240 passes) and 42% to the Dons (170 passes).
Aberdeen forged their period of control by creating more depth by recycling the ball through the keeper and centre-backs in open play – in the only real period where the midfield pairing, Leighton Clarkson and Ante Palaversa, impacted the match.
Clarkson dropped into the back line to make it a three (sometimes he was joined by Palaversa – see image below) and Aberdeen started to move County around and gained a foothold in the opposition half.
Keskinen let Clarkson’s great ball slip under his foot, but made amends later with a great run and pass to Morris, and we had Clarkson again finding Nisbet which forced a good save.
Finally, Morris rolled the ball across the face with no-takers – a move started by a Knoester long pass.
Sometimes in these tight games, you just need your players with greater quality to step up to the plate and Morris’s goal will long be remembered.
Set up himself by Morris in Dingwall earlier in the campaign, Nisbet’s pass was a good example of a forward player being able to control the ball with his back to pressure and slide in a supporting teammate.
Aberdeen will have to deal with pressing opponents in ALL of their remaining matches
In the second half, Aberdeen completed 70 passes at 65% accuracy. The Dons seemed to push the ball forward rather than retaining possession, and there was a lack of recycling through goalie Ross Doohan, who went long on most occasions.
This could be attributed to a coaching decision, natural inclinations to defend a lead, County’s direct approach, and a dry, bobbly surface.
However, there were still some openings created from the longer passing, with the other centre-back Alfie Dorrington playing a bigger role in progressing the ball.
It was a gritty win – at a time of the season when wins are all that matter – and the second clean sheet in a row on the road.
The Dons will likely be pressed in the remaining six league fixtures and the Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts. The ability to connect those longer passes will be important. Or, they could just get the ball to Shady Mo…
Gavin MacPhee is a qualified coach, scout and analyst and holds a degree in Science and Football. He is the creator of www.afc1903.com, an Aberdeen tactical and data blog.
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