Aberdeen must get their recruitment of new players right in the summer to ensure they go into the new season with renewed enthusiasm.
Manager Derek McInnes has admitted the recruitment during the two transfer windows for this campaign has not been as good as he wanted it to be.
When the manager says that you know he is not comfortable with some of the players he has taken in and will make changes.
Crashing out of the Scottish Cup to Motherwell will have hammered that home.
McInnes not knowing his best starting 11 has been an issue this season and that is something that will hopefully change for the next campaign.
I know squad rotation is in vogue in the modern game but for me if a team are playing well you keep that starting 11 and retain that continuity. Aberdeen have not really done that this season.
The centre-back partner for Scott McKenna has continually changed and the strikers are either Stevie May, Adam Rooney or a combination of the two.
The wide area has not been occupied by consistent performers either. Last season it was Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn feeding Rooney up front but that consistency of performance has not been there.
Ultimately finding that established starting 11 will be what McInnes will be looking to achieve during the summer transfer window.
Exiting the Scottish Cup after being turned over 3-0 is going to be difficult to recover from.
Throughout the season the Scottish Cup had been hanging there as something the manager felt was achievable. Now that opportunity has gone and Aberdeen can have absolutely no complaints about the result.
All that remains is the fight for second spot yet Aberdeen’s record against the top six teams has not been great this season.
They will have to turn that around if they are to secure a runners-up finish before what will be a busy summer.
Exiting the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage is a massive blow after what had been a very kind draw with home ties all the way through.
However, there were absolutely no positives to take away for Aberdeen after their performance against Motherwell.
The Reds were nervous at the back, lacked creativity in midfield and had no cutting edge in attack.
The Dons’ dressing room will be bitterly disappointed but the manager must get better performances out of them for the rest of the campaign.
Aberdeen are still in the hunt for that second-place finish in the Premiership so they have to pick themselves up straight away and ensure they are ready to face in-form Kilmarnock away on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.