Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin insists lessons will be learned from the sobering 4-1 loss at Rangers.
The Dons’ recent three-game winning streak came to a grinding halt with the heavy Ibrox defeat.
Goodwin opted to go with an attacking 3-5-2 formation in a bid to “have a go” against Rangers.
In the immediate aftermath of the loss, the Dons boss said he would accept criticism for adopting an adventurous strategy rather than “parking the bus”.
Aberdeen next face Rangers in Glasgow in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden on Sunday January 16.
Goodwin insists the Dons will learn from the Ibrox nightmare, but the loss will not destroy his squad’s confidence.
He said: “We just have to learn from this. It’s as simple as that.
“We won’t allow it to derail us.
“We don’t let it knock the confidence out of us as a group.
“Prior to the game we had great belief.
“However, Rangers were better than us on the day and we were poor.
“We need to take this one on the chin.
“It is a very sore one, but we need to go again.”
Analysis of a sobering defeat
Goodwin, his management staff and the players held a post-mortem into the Ibrox defeat where the Dons blew an early lead.
The Ibrox side registered 35 shots, 13 on target and enjoyed 70% of possession.
In contrast, despite setting up to attack, Aberdeen mustered a meagre one shot on target with a further four off.
Midfielder Connor Barron fired Aberdeen ahead in the 21st minute.
However, the Reds could only hold on to the lead for six minutes in a game Rangers would go on to completely dominate.
Goodwin said: “We went over it all and analysed the game in great depth on Sunday and Monday.
“I don’t think we did well enough on the ball.
“We were not precise enough with our passing in terms of the build-up play.
“Our midfield three didn’t get on the ball enough and were starved of possession.
“Any time we did get into a forward area in the Rangers half, it just broke down far too easily.
“We were in too much of a hurry at times to go forward when we should have been more patient – when we should have put our foot on the ball and rested on it times.
“We found it very hard to put three or four passes together. It became too frantic for us in possession.
“I think that’s why we weren’t able to get any clear-cut opportunities.”
‘It became wave after wave of attack’
Aberdeen conceded to a John Lundstram goal in first half-injury time to go into the break 2-1 down.
Goodwin was disappointed the game became “wave after wave” of Rangers attacks in the second 45 minutes.
He said: “In the second half we were too sloppy in possession.
“And we ended up getting caught on the counter attack on numerous occasions.
“That became a real problem for us in the second half.
“It just became wave after wave of attack which is the most disappointing thing for me.
“I could pick holes in every goal and can look for excuses and say we should have done this and that better.
“Ultimately Rangers were by far better than us in the second 45 minutes.
“Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and accept that.
“They deserved the points on the day and had too many goal attempts, too many shots on target.”
Second heavy away loss for Aberdeen, with Goodwin banned for Hibs clash
It was the second time in three away Premiership fixtures Aberdeen conceded four goals.
A 2-1 win at Motherwell was sandwiched between a 4-0 humbling at Dundee United and the Ibrox defeat.
Aberdeen threatened through Duk just 60 seconds into the second half, when 2-1 down.
Goodwin reckons had the former Benfica striker scored, it would have been “game on”.
However, after that missed chance it was one-way traffic with Rangers in complete control.
Next up for Aberdeen is a home clash with third-placed Hibs at Pittodrie on Friday.
The fourth-placed Dons trail Hibs by a point and also hold a game in hand.
Goodwin will not be in the dugout for the Hibs clash following the ruling of an Appellate Tribunal on Monday.
The Dons boss had his eight-game ban, two suspended, from the Scottish FA reduced by three games following an appeal.
The Pittodrie boss was hit with an eight-game ban in October for comments about Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous.
He served a ban for the 4-0 loss at Dundee United.
Goodwin was then allowed back into the dugout until the appeal tribunal.
Goodwin will now miss the clash with Hibs and the trip to Livingston next Tuesday.
He said: “At half-time we spoke quite positively about still being in the game and not being too hard on ourselves – about trying to start the second half in a better fashion and we did that.
“At 2-1 were still trying to be adventurous.
“We had a great chance early in the second half when Duk makes a great run across the near post.
“If that goes in then it is game on again.
“That was probably the only attempt we had on goal in the second half.
“From then on, Rangers completely dominated the rest of the game.”
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