Stephen Glass explains why Aberdeen under-performed and what steps he'll take to fix it

Clearly jaded by playing three gruelling games in a week, Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass has vowed to make his team better prepared for when the same scenario comes around next season.

Stephen Glass believed his team was floored by its schedule.

The Dons were unceremoniously dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Dundee United, losing 3-0 at Pittodrie and out-performed all over the pitch. While United were able to rest six key players in midweek and bring them in fresh for this tie, Aberdeen endured a gruelling 1-1 draw against Celtic. Along with last weekend’s extra-time and penalties game with Livingston and a paucity of options, Aberdeen had little left in the tank.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Glass. “We came into the game hoping to perform as we have done in the last couple of games, but I think you saw that the group looked dead on its feet. They have given us everything they have in the last two games and it didn’t look like they had anything left to do the things we needed them to do against a United team that came full of energy and quality. We didn’t handle that.

"The way that we want to work takes a lot out of the players and to me you saw what three games in a week does to them. I think we will have them prepared for when that eventuality comes next year.”

When asked how he can make them ready, Glass replied: “I think it's a little bit of know-how. You saw United, every time they missed a pass, they missed it in a decent area. We weren't able to feed off them. It's a little bit of everything. I want to think forward. We will prepare the players in a way they are able to do this. Any time things change, things change for players. It's fatiguing. I think they are feeling the end of a season. It's been a difficult one because in a pandemic, they're not doing their every-day life stuff, so I think you are seeing teams all over the country that are struggling fatigue-wise.

"There's nothing different in this group, but next year, I'm hoping they will be a different group and a different mindset in handling that sort of thing, a group of men that is able to compete.”

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