Jimmy Thelin says Aberdeen ‘too passive’ after Conference League defeat

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin felt his team were too passive as they ended their Conference League campaign with another defeat.

The Dons went down 3-0 to Sparta Prague in the Czech capital to finish 35th out of 36 teams with two points and a goal difference of minus 11.

Aberdeen made a confident enough start but fell behind in the 16th minute and Sparta were in complete control and two ahead by half-time.

Thelin told RedTV: “After the first goal, instead of taking one step forward and keep doing what we needed to do, we became a little bit passive and played way too low and gave them more space to play.

“We made it difficult for ourselves and they grew into the game and used that time on the ball.

“It was a little bit better in the second half but still not good enough. We had three or four interceptions and the transitions didn’t lead to anything. It was a disappointing result.

“Overall we have played six opponents and five of them are in the top eight. We are not at that level right now but we know what we need to do to grow as a club and a team and become more competitive.”