Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee insists his weakened defence can nullify the threat of Kilmarnock’s target man Kevin Kyle today.
Dons central defenders Jerel Ifil and Zander Diamond will miss the game at Rugby Park, leaving Andy Considine as the only recognised central defender in the team this afternoon.
Despite the lack of aerial presence at the back, McGhee is confident his players can ensure Kyle’s impact on the game is minimal.
When asked how his side will handle Kyle, the Dons manager said: “We will try to keep Kilmarnock up the park, away from the goal. We’ll try to keep a high line, keep the ball and force them, if possible, to keep the ball wide and away from Kyle.
“We want to force them to play up the line and force him to run out there. If he does get into the areas he wants to then the goalkeeper will have to compete with him and punch everything if he has to. I want one more goal than them.”
The defensive problems of pre-season have been addressed in emphatic fashion with no goals conceded in the last five SPL matches but the Dons manager knows his team must now turn its attention to scoring at the other end.
With just one goal in the last four league games, McGhee knows there is massive room for improvement.
He said: “I think it’s the whole play. We haven’t had a consistent pattern of play to develop a way of getting service to the strikers. The build-up, the quality of the service, the quality of the finishing; everything has still got to get to a level of what is required to get two or three goals a game.
“Chris Maguire has to do more but potentially he is as good a finisher as anyone and with his quickness and ability he should be playing more than he has been.
“He still has to be doing things we want him to do and doing it our way. He has his own ideas on how he thinks he can be effective for the team. I think I know how he can be more effective and once he starts doing it my way I think you’ll see him coming through.”
©2009 Press and Journal
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