Leighton Clarkson stole the headlines for his excellent free-kick but the return of Hayden Coulson was just as pivotal in Aberdeen getting back to winning ways at St Johnstone.
The on-loan Middlesbrough defender missed his side’s previous game against Motherwell at Pittodrie and his absence was pivotal in Aberdeen’s defeat.
We detailed last week how the defensive reshuffle led to Aberdeen shipping three goals in hapless fashion as they slumped to a shock 3-2 home loss to the Steelmen.
But the return of Coulson led to the natural order being restored in the Dons defence in Perth and the difference was clear for all to see.
Coulson’s return at left back meant Ross McCrorie was restored to midfield alongside Ylber Ramadani while Clarkson played in the middle of the supporting trio behind striker Bojan Miovski.
The same 4-2-3-1 system, a minor tweak in personnel but a world of difference.
Full steam ahead from Aberdeen’s full backs
Coulson’s display was arguably his best yet since joining the Dons. He brought balance to the team and no shortage of energy as he raced up and down the line all afternoon.
Like his counterpart Jayden Richardson down the right flank, it was a case of attacker one minute, defender the next, and both made a telling impact in the victory.
It may have been a slender 1-0 win for Jim Goodwin’s side but Aberdeen had near total control of proceedings throughout the 90 minutes.
Bear in mind both are full backs first and foremost, but their attacking forays were a vital aspect of Aberdeen’s forward play at McDiarmid Park.
It felt as if you were watching one mazy run after another down the left from Coulson during the game and his statistics from the game back that up.
With 82 touches in the game, Coulson was on the ball more than any other player on the pitch.
Richardson was just as effective down the right flank for Goodwin’s side.
With 70 touches, he was joint second along with captain Anthony Stewart behind Coulson. The fourth highest with 64 was the other member of the back four, Liam Scales.
Dons determined to play from the back
The emphasis on playing from the back is clear in Goodwin’s Aberdeen team. With 874 passes made so far in their own half in the four Premiership matches to date, the Dons are the third highest behind champions Celtic (1,023) and Rangers (948).
Their 88.9% success rate makes for encouraging reading too.
However, there is an element of risk attached, particularly for Aberdeen.
With 24 turnovers conceded 40 metres from their own goal in the four games to date the Dons are the third highest behind Hearts with 35 and St Johnstone with 30.
Five of those turnovers have resulted in the opposition getting a shot at goal but Goodwin’s men have managed not to concede from giving the ball away in a high turnover situation so far.
But when the Dons, and their attacking full backs in particular, are in the mood it spells trouble for their opposition – as St Johnstone found to their cost at the weekend.
Saints struggled to impose themselves on Aberdeen
Coulson had two shots, nine entries into the final third, 10 passes in the final third and four crosses in Perth.
Former Nottingham Forest right back Richardson made nine final third entries, created two chances, boasted 88% passing accuracy, made 14 passes in the final third and provided three crosses of his own.
With Stewart and Scales, ably supported by defensive buffers Ramadani and McCrorie, holding the fort at the back, the willingness of Richardson and Coulson to push forward meant their respective rivals in the opposing team were forced into defensive duty for long spells.
It was the definition of the best form of defence being attack as far as the defensive wide men were concerned.
The average positions of the players for their team tell the story perfectly.
Saints lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation but as the graphic below shows full backs Drey Wright (no.14) barely reached the halfway line for the home side.
James Brown (no.2) was pushed even further back into his own half by Richardson down the right flank.
Coulson and Richardson’s forays into the Saints half meant the home wing backs managed just one successful dribble each in the whole game.
Perth Saints failed to press Aberdeen – but Livingston will
Saints did not offer the high press which Motherwell used to great effect the previous weekend but this weekend’s opponents Livingston will press much more than Saints did when they head to Pittodrie to face the Dons.
It was a press from which Well unsettled the Dons in their last Pittodrie outing and you can be sure Livingston boss Davie Martindale has paid close attention.
Livi went with a 4-3-2-1 approach in their 1-0 loss at Well at the weekend with Stephane Omeonga, who started wide right of the three, joining Jason Holt in midfield as the duo doubled up on Sean Goss of Well.
The head-to-head with McCrorie and Ramadani could prove crucial to midfield supremacy. In terms of the respective full backs Coulson will face a sterner test against Nicky Devlin of Livi than he had in Perth.
Richardson, however, will have licence to push forward against the more defensively minded Cristian Montano.
Clearly if the Dons back four – and their attacking full backs in particular – can find their rhythm again they can cause Livi problems this weekend.
