The goalless draw with Partick Thistle was a pretty poor result as far as Aberdeen are concerned.
Derek McInnes’ men had won eight games on the spin against the Jags before Saturday, with a statistic like that, it was a game the Dons should have won.
The match continued the Reds’ slump in form which has seen them slip five points behind Rangers in the Premiership.
Firhill boss Alan Archibald sounded delighted with a point afterwards.
So where does the problem lie?
As a manager, McInnes seems to be uncertain as to which personnel he favours and, as a result, his side aren’t creating enough chances or scoring goals.
It’s especially worrying given the hugely significant Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against on-fire Kilmarnock tomorrow night.
Aberdeen’s squad is certainly strong enough for the position they’d like to be in, but they need to find confidence, creativity and a goalscoring touch.
When you look at Partick, they’d lost four games in a row and are second bottom in the table, you’d have thought they were there for the taking, but Aberdeen lined up conservatively.
I can understand Dons fans questioning why they saw six outfield players who are often used as defenders, as well as four attacking players arguably most suited to the number 10 role start.
It’s McInnes’ job to get the tactics right in this challenging moment in his Pittodrie reign and the line up seems to change week to week – fans have every right to question it.
Who is the man to partner Scott McKenna at centre-back, is it Kari Arnason or Dominic Ball?
Up front it’s a similar story – who is the club’s main striker now?
Against Partick, the decision was to play one up in the form of fit-again Stevie May, with Adam Rooney being brought on later. Last week they both played, but this didn’t work too well either.
Rooney’s league return of nine goals as top scorer is nothing like what the Red Army has been used to in recent campaigns.
At least one player at the club should be approaching the 20-goal mark each year.
Meanwhile, for the most part, Anthony O’Connor is utilised as a defensive midfielder in front of the defence. Yes, this protects the back four well, but also takes a creative midfielder out of the team – an area where the Reds are coming up short.
I think McInnes will realise this and get more creative players on the park instead of a centre-back-cum-midfielder.
He could use talented wing players like Gary Mackay-Steven, Scott Wright and Greg Stewart on the flanks, instead of the brilliant Ryan Christie being wide when he’s far better through the middle.
I can’t help but feel O’Connor or Ball will be in front of the defence again tomorrow night at Rugby Park.
But hopefully Aberdeen can once again find their best 11 and avoid a season-defining cup exit.
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