Defiant Jim Goodwin says he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't as far as his style of football is concerned. But he's hinted that the conservative approach taken against Celtic might be shelved with a "different challenge" against Rangers on the horizon.
Goodwin was criticised by some Aberdeen fans, former players and pundits for the ultra-defensive approach they took in Saturday's clash with Celtic. They kept Ange Postecoglou's big-hitters out for 87 minutes before Callum McGregor's strike but fans at Pittodrie were left frustrated by the style of football deployed, as the Dons finished the game with just 19 per cent possession and failed to muster a shot on target.
But Goodwin, whose team face Michael Beale's Rangers at Ibrox on Tuesday, compared the defeat to Celtic with an earlier thumping against Gers where the his team went out and "had a go" but ended up losing 4-1. He insists he can't win either way and defended his style. He told Sky Sports: "We tried to contain them and frustrate (Celtic) and we denied them a lot of space in behind, which is what Kyogo and Maeda want. I thought we defended really well throughout the game but we weren't able to do anything with the ball when we had possession.
"We turned over possession too cheaply and in the second half, we didn't offer a great deal going forward. It's disappointing, it's not the style we've been used to this year, we're one of the highest scorers in the league at home and our fans in the main have been very well entertained.
"Unfortunately on Saturday it didn't pay off. If we'd have taken a 0-0 from it, it would have been a great start back after the World Cup. We just felt that was the best way to play the game but tomorrow night is a different challenge.
"The game at Ibrox a few weeks back, we got loads of plaudits after the game because we, in a lot of people's eyes, went to Ibrox and had a go. We lost the game 4-1 and it could have been six or seven. On Saturday, we had a different approach and narrowly lost 1-0. So you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. If we win tomorrow night then Saturday will soon be forgotten."
Goodwin watched Rangers' thrilling 3-2 win over Hibs to prepare and reckons Beale has ditched Gio van Bronckhorst's pragmatism in favour of the more ambitious style deployed by Steven Gerrard. He added: "Michael had a lot of success under Steven Gerrard when he was there and it looks like he's going to adapt a similar style of play to that. Giovanni was more of a 4-2-3-1 with the wingers offering a lot of width.
"Watching the Hibs game, it looks as if Michael has gone back to playing the the same way that he was coaching under Steven Gerrard. The three front men play narrower and the width comes from the full-backs, so it gives us something different to have to think about.
"Defensively we have to be as organised and as compact as we were on Saturday. But the most important thing tomorrow night is that when we do get possession, we do a lot more with it."
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