Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin will work on shoring up his defence this week after conducting a post-mortem into the loss to Motherwell.
The Reds’ poor defending was punished by the Steelmen in a disappointing 3-2 loss at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen have conceded in each of the opening three Premiership games.
Goodwin completely revamped his defence during an extensive summer rebuild where 11 players have been signed.
Three of the back four who started against ‘Well were summer additions – Liam Scales, Anthony Stewart and Jayden Richardson.
Keeper Kelle Roose was also drafted in during a hectic summer transfer window.
Goodwin accepts there were big gaps in his defence at times against Motherwell and aims to fix that for Saturday’s trip to St Johnstone.
He said: “A couple of goals were very avoidable and some of the distances were too big along the back four at times.
“Those are things we will look at this week. We will analyse the game as a group.
“Motherwell is a setback, but there is a lot we can learn from it and do better at.”
Defensive shuffle to face Motherwell – but consistency needed across board
Boss Goodwin had to reshuffle his defence on Saturday because on-loan Middlesbrough left-back Hayden Coulson was out injured.
Aberdeen are hopeful Coulson will recover in time to face St Johnstone.
With Coulson ruled out, vice-captain Ross McCrorie dropped back from his midfield role to take up a centre-back position against ‘Well.
Left-sided centre-back Liam Scales, on loan from Celtic, moved to left-back.
From the high of comprehensively defeating St Mirren 4-1 the previous weekend, Aberdeen’s form nosedived against Motherwell.
Goodwin has called for more consistency from his team.
He said: “I spoke about consistency in the build up to the game all week with the players.
“Consistent individual performances and consistent collective performances in terms of how we are passing the ball and approaching the game.
“Obviously we also need good positive results consistently as well.”
Dons to face former player Considine
The Dons will come up against former Aberdeen defender Andy Considine on Saturday.
A new contract for Considine from was taken off the table last season after talks broke down.
It ended 18 years in the Aberdeen first team for Considine, who signed on at St Johnstone this summer.
The decision to let Considine leave Pittodrie was made by Goodwin in a bid to reshape the team.
Aberdeen have shelled out almost £1.5 million in transfer fees in an extensive summer rebuild.
The Dons began the campaign with a bang, winning all four Premier Sports Cup group stage matches, all clean sheets.
However, the Reds have taken just three points from the opening three Premiership games, having also lost 2-0 at Celtic.
‘There has been an air of positivity’
Goodwin is determined to re-inject positivity around the club following the chastening defeat to Motherwell.
However, he also believes there must be an acceptance of how competitive the Premiership could be this season.
He said: “There has been a real air of positivity which has been fantastic and we want to maintain that.
“Albeit I’ve been trying to keep peoples’ feet on the ground because I didn’t want us to get carried away.
“I know how difficult this league is.
“You only have to look at some of the other results in the Premiership to see how competitive it is going to be this season.”
‘It is too early to start talking about pressure’
Aberdeen sit seventh in the Premiership table, level on points with St Johnstone, who they face in Perth.
Goodwin insists the Reds are not feeling the heat and is confident they remain on course to deliver a successful season.
He said: “It is too early to start talking about pressure.
“We coasted through our League Cup group stage winning all four games, whilst registering clean sheets and scoring goals.
“We gave a decent account of ourselves at Parkhead and played really well against St Mirren.
“Although we got ourselves in front against Motherwell, at no stage in the game did I feel comfortable.
“I never really celebrated either goal, because I thought we didn’t really look at our best at all.
“The boys are an honest group and that is why we walked about the pitch after the game.
“It is very easy to stand there after the game against St Mirren when the fans are all cheering your name and are happy and enjoyed what they watched. Motherwell was different and we have to accept the criticism.
“We appreciate the fans for coming out in numbers and getting behind the team.
“We will dust ourselves down and focus on the St Johnstone game.”
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