We may have lost the final in a penalty shootout against Finland but there were plenty of positives from the Pinatar Cup.
A penalty shootout defeat was not the way we wanted to leave the camp but everything else was very encouraging.
I thought we did enough in the final to beat Finland so it was frustrating it didn’t go our way in the end.
We have had a few experiences over the past year or so when we haven’t managed to beat teams who are close to us in the FIFA rankings, such as our recent encounters with Belgium in the Nations League.
These are the teams we need to take care of when we come up against them in the future.
We managed to get a lot of work completed on the training pitch. Normally we have three games in the Pinatar Cup but there were only two on this occasion which gave the camp a better balance.
It felt like a very productive week.
Everyone is around two-thirds of the way through their club season so it felt this was a very useful week without killing the players.
We came off the back of the 6-0 defeat against England at Hampden last year which was really tough.
This camp was always going to be really pivotal with regards to the type of environment we want to create and the attitude we want to take into the next six months.
I felt we made the most of that opportunity and it was a really enjoyable experience.
The draw for the Euro 2025 qualifiers is on Tuesday and we are among a group of teams around about us in the rankings who will all have the same ambition of qualifying for the tournament which will be held in Switzerland.
I thought we were the better team against Finland over the 90 minutes. We didn’t deserve to go a goal behind. You can’t afford to give teams an opportunity in international football so that is something we will look at and learn from.
The wind made for tricky conditions and we were playing into the wind in the second half and were already a goal behind.
It would have been easy to try to sit in and play on the counter but I thought we embraced it and were dynamic in trying to create opportunities.
We just didn’t create enough clearcut opportunities which is something we must keep working on.
I felt we produced two good performances against Finland and the Philippines.
Chelsea Cornet, in particular, did really well and we enjoyed having her in the environment.
She is a very vibrant character and brings a lot of energy on and off the pitch.
We started with two strong teams in both games but we made changes for the second game which shows we have options in different positions. We also had key players missing who will come back into the squad.
Overall, it was a really good camp. Even for the players who didn’t get minutes on the pitch, which will always be personally disappointing, we all showed a lot of togetherness to make the best out of the time we had.
Only a matter of time before first £1m transfer deal
After Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji became the most expensive women’s footballer in history how long will it be before we see the first £1million player?
The forward joined the American side Bay FC from Madrid CFF for £685,000 last month on a four-year deal.
We’re getting very close to that £1m player. We have seen how the transfer fees have risen in the men’s game over the years.
While we are starting to see bigger transfer fees for players, it is equally important we see the investment in infrastructure at clubs to ensure players are playing and training in the right environments.
🧊🥶 Racheal Kundananji. #WeAreCopperQueens #Paris2024 #OlympicQualifiers pic.twitter.com/HcxLN1Nk1j
— FAZ (@FAZFootball) February 24, 2024
There isn’t infinite amounts of money so that will be the challenge for clubs, especially if transfer fees continue to push upwards. You would hope everything else around the game grows at the same pace because players should be getting looked after properly.
As athletes become more and more valuable, it’s important everything is there for them to stay in good condition.
Worrying times at Pittodrie
The 2-0 home defeat against St Johnstone was another disappointing result for the Aberdeen men’s team.
Everything feels very low and downbeat at the moment and that is worrying.
When you are in that type of battle at the wrong end of the table one of the most important things is making sure there is a togetherness and unity.
The narrative around the team feels very low and as a player it will be almost impossible to avoid what people are saying and writing about the team.
I’m sure the players are doing their best to limit what they are exposed to but it will be difficult to avoid the criticism altogether.
Given some of the good performances Aberdeen have produced this season, particularly in Europe, it seems incredible for the confidence to be so low.
The group of players is certainly capable of a lot more.
I don’t feel the same concerns about staying up some people have started talking about.
But it is really tough seeing the team hitting a challenging run of form.
Neil Warnock spoke to RedTV after tonight's game at Pittodrie. pic.twitter.com/bl3KwDrryy
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) February 28, 2024
Neil Warnock has been quite critical of the team’s defending and the goals they have conceded.
The one thing people should keep in mind is often the narrative spoken about outside can be very different from what is said in the dressing room.
We don’t know what is being said to the players on a daily basis but I imagine an experienced manager like Neil Warnock will have his own methods on getting the best out of a group of players.
I would probably be far more responsive to the criticism and being told the things you aren’t doing right than taking the compliments.
He maybe believes the players in the Dons squad will respond better to the public criticism.
I hope that is the case. He has been very honest in his post-match press conferences but he probably knows trying to sugarcoat performances won’t wash with the fans.
He will have his reasons for doing that and they will be because he wants the team to get results.
Hopefully that starts sooner rather than later.