The decision to play defenders Greg Leigh and Zak Vyner in holding midfield against Motherwell was a tactical masterstroke from Derek McInnes.
With Lewis Ferguson suspended, Funso Ojo and Scott Wright injured and Craig Bryson and Stephen Gleeson only fit enough for the bench the Aberdeen boss was short of options in the middle of the park.
McInnes opted to pitch Leigh and Vyner into unnatural positions and it paid off as both were outstanding.
They didn’t allow Motherwell the opportunity to play through the Reds and build up attacks, they stopped them at source.
Leigh and Vyner were like rottweilers in the middle of the park. But on top of that their use of the ball was also very good, Leigh’s pass to create the first goal for Sam Cosgrove was fabulous, while Vyner scored the third with a great strike from long range.
McInnes said he had worked all week on the shape of the team and, with Leigh and Vyner in midfield, and it showed.
The formation worked a treat.
Before the game we weren’t really sure how the Dons would set up.
Having Leigh and Vyner in the engine room was one of the key reasons for Aberdeen’s victory.
The stability the Reds had in the central area was vital because it gave the forward players the platform to go on and score the goals.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.
