Europe
Mats Knoester thought he had scored his first goal for the Dons in the game against RC Strasbourg, only for VAR to deny him, much to his frustration. Mats spoke to the media after the game on Thursday and reflected on the Conference League campaign.
“I was unlucky with the hand ball, but what can you do? I think my arm is on his back and I had it on my head first – my eye actually – and then it goes on the arm. They were complaining about the goalie getting blocked, that’s what the first check was I think, and then they saw the hand ball.
“When I scored, my eye was hurting. I was like ‘Ok, they might have seen something,’ because they were screaming for the foul on the goalie. I didn’t know it was about me, and then the referee said I was very unlucky, but I touched it with my hand after.
“The second header, I was like. ‘Ok, let’s do it a second time!’ Then the goalie makes an amazing save. Unlucky. It’s been a while since I scored and I’ve been a bit unlucky now, two times today. But it will come.
“We are disappointed that we were out, and especially that we weren’t good enough in the beginning of the tournament, the first games. But then also, we look at how we started and how we did today, and also against Larnaca. Even FC Noah, if we’re a bit more lucky, we can have some more points there and a chance to do something still in the end.
“We are growing, I would say, but the biggest feeling and mood was the disappointment of not having enough points and again, not winning this game. You can say we play well, but we don’t get points.
“We did quite well, we executed our plan quite well, but at the end we have empty hands. What you see in the first half, I think we had the bigger chances, one with Adil, with me, Marko, so we had a few good chances, but then they had one and they score. It’s not good enough in that way, not finishing our chances and conceding our first chance against. You have to be honest with that. But if you have to look at the positive side, it’s that we did grow in the tournament.
“I think we’re more solid as a defending block. Our pressure was better tonight against a strong team on the ball. We created chances, but then it’s small margins in these games, especially against an opponent like that. They show us that after one chance it’s a goal, that’s the biggest difference today.
“We have to keep going, keep growing, keep doing our thing in the league like we did the last few weeks. It’s definitely important to be there again against Kilmarnock, because we want to finish high and be in the fight for Europe again next season.”
At home
Mats also sat down recently and spoke with the Red Matchday editor after the Dons league campaign.
The Dons defensive solidity has played a huge part in Aberdeen shrugging off the early season disappointments and beginning to look forward to the rest of the domestic campaign with a lot more optimism.
At the heart of that improvement has been Mats Knoester, now playing in a three man Dons defence that has grown in stature over recent weeks and months. He certainly feels that there is now far greater belief in the side, and that is translating into league performances and results.
“I do think confidence is growing, because if you look at our games at the beginning of the season and then recently, we did improve many things, but still we weren’t happy with how we did some things, like pressing, for example.
“But if you go back to the game against Hearts, that was different. We brought a different energy, more aggression. Even though we always try that in the game, sometimes it doesn’t come out like you plan. In that game, I think, many things were a bit better than before.
“Apart from the change in formation that we have had, I think it’s also the analysis of what needs to be better. For example, the Hearts game, we won many duels, many 50-50s, many second balls. Many times in transition, we created something, instead of giving it away and ending up very low in our own half.”
As Aberdeen have become increasingly miserly at the back, there have been more plaudits for the defenders, with Mats coming in for regular praise from the pundits. The Dutch centre-back, who arrived at Pittodrie in February 2025, quickly established himself as a key figure in the Aberdeen defence, impressing with his commanding performances and strong leadership qualities. Does he feel that his personal performance levels have improved?
“It’s always a bit strange suddenly to get praise, because I don’t feel like I do anything different. But of course, when the results start to get better and the team starts to get better, as an individual, you always look better. You go with that rhythm as well.
“I think that’s one of my qualities, to be as consistent as possible, and to bring calmness to the team. It was not always like that. As a very young kid, I wasn’t calm. But I think that has improved, and maybe that also has a relationship to consistency. I don’t do many crazy things normally!”
The defensive unit of Mats, Jack Milne and Nicky Devlin is certainly settling into a consistent rhythm, so what does Mats make of his two colleagues at either end of the experience scale?
“Last season, Jack already showed his quality. But then if you want to grow, it’s about showing it every time, being consistent in that. Especially in our position, it’s important to be consistent. I definitely see, like the Hearts game, he won so many duels, headers, but also he was very good in behind. He was very consistent.
“Having Nicky in the back three as well, just to gain from his experience and calmness, has probably helped him quite a bit as well. To have the balance right in a team is very important. I do feel like we’re getting more consistent as a team in things we do in the defence, in duels, in behaviour. The basic things we start to do consistently, and I think from there eventually the quality comes up.”
Of the most important elements in performing well on the field is to feel settled off it. Mats began his career in the Feyenoord youth academy and developed there for 14 years before moving to Heracles in 2019. After spending three years with the Eredivisie side, he moved to Hungary in 2022 signing for Ferencvaros. Mats won the league in May 2023 before joining Aarhus Gymnastikforening in Denmark later that year on a one-year loan deal. Coming up to nearly a year in Aberdeen, how has Mats taken to life in the Granite City?
“I’ve settled well. That happened very fast already last season. My daughter goes to primary school now, she’s settled. That’s always important as a father. My missus is settling very fast, and she’s used to this life now. It’s all good. I have not many worries outside of the pitch. If my family is over and we win, for example, then I go out for dinner. I like coffee places. Sometimes we go for a walk, the usual family stuff.”
The family won’t be seeing so much of Mats during this month as the Dons throw themselves into a hectic fixture schedule between December and the middle of January. It is a very British thing, but is Mats looking forward to his first taste of such an intense run of games?
“I think it’s good to have so many games to play because you’re in the rhythm. Of course you’re tired, you start to feel it, but in terms of rhythm, I think it’s good. I like it. The important thing is to look after yourself and to recover well.
“Two of the most important things is your food and sleep. I try and keep doing that as well as possible. Other than that, it’s little things that help. Ice bath, getting treatment. Staying fit is important, but it’s also about staying fresh in your head because game after game is a lot of pressure, mental pressure. It’s also good to try and get out of that for a little moment after the game. I think that’s also important.”
In football, what goes on between the ears can be every bit as important as what you do with the feet, and as Mats explains, having that inner belief has been central to Aberdeen’s recent recovery.
“The start of the season obviously wasn’t good, but nobody was really panicking because we knew the quality we had. It’s a long season. We all knew it would come good eventually. There was, of course, a lot of pressure, which is normal in a club like this if your results are not good. Even though if some games we deserved maybe more, still, if you don’t have the result, that’s all that matters in the end. But we had something to build on and I think that’s what kept us going. We were like, ‘there’s no chance it continues like that.’ Now it starts to become better and better.
“In the beginning of the season, we created some good chances, but somehow we didn’t get goals, and also somehow we gave away easy goals. It looks so bad. But then when you adjust a few things and you score a goal, all of a sudden it looks so much better. It’s about keep analysing, keep changing those little things and then eventually it will turn around.
“We have been on a good run in the league, but that doesn’t guarantee anything for the next games, it’s not that we should all be celebrating like, everything’s going to be fine. No, we need to stay calm and keep improving those little things. Then it might be that we start winning game after game. It’s just about keep doing the same thing over and over.”
