Most Aberdeen fans were nervous wrecks by the end of the game at Celtic Park, but as ever, Jimmy Thelin was the coolest man in the place as his side fought back from 2-0 down to draw the game 2-2. That quality was especially essential at half-time as Aberdeen looked to find a way back into the game.
“We knew Celtic is a really strong team and they’re going to push us and stretch us for 90 minutes and we need to have this team spirit today to get a good result from here. It was a bit of a disappointment at half-time, but we had a good talk with the players and the staff about how we can find our way back into the game. I like the team spirit the players have, how they help each other.
“It’s not easy to come here and have 2-0 against you and go out in the second half but the spirit the players showed today and these two goals we scored was amazing. Then of course sometimes you need to have some luck also in the last few minutes. There were some crazy moments on the pitch but it is important how the players sacrificed themselves. They gave everything they had. They were tired but they kept believing, helping each other. That’s also something you need sometimes, the extra effort to get the points in these difficult away games. I’m proud of the players today and the fans who were here who supported us all the way.”
The Dons made a double change at the interval and were quickly back on terms as Ester Sokler and Graeme Shinnie got on the scoresheet.
“The players have different qualities and it’s my responsibility how we attack the game. We didn’t find a way in the first half. It’s nothing about the players, it’s more about strategy and sometimes we need some more pace. Celtic were good, we couldn’t really manage some areas but we saw opportunities in transitions and that’s why we made the changes.
“We needed to calm down a little bit and focus on our identity, what we want to achieve here. It’s still early in the season so we still have a lot of things to improve. Sometimes when you get under real pressure, then you have to refocus and try to find a way to start over the game in our mind. We couldn’t keep doing the same as we did in the first half. It was a good talk with the players and then we go out with a strong feeling that we have to do it step by step.
“I know every game in this league is really competitive. It’s a lot of good teams. The games we have played, we have some late winners, we have fought a lot, so we need to stay humble. Now we have to focus on Dundee United at home. That’s the only way we work, game by game. We have a strong belief in what we do but the fighting spirit inside the team, that’s what we have to take from this game.”
