Dimitar Mitov tells ‘naive’ Aberdeen team-mates to commit more fouls

Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov hinted they need to be more cynical on the pitch to turn around their season.

The Dons lost 2-1 at home to Hibernian on Sunday as an upturn in Premiership form came to a halt.

Mitov described himself as “angry, disappointed, frustrated” after the defeat followed a 6-0 Conference League thrashing by AEK Athens and left them in 11th place in the table.

“In football you have got to take your chances and I felt we had plenty of chances to win the game,” the Bulgaria international added on RedTV.

“We just need to be better all round, from our box to the attacking box. It’s everything. We have got to be better. Not just with finishing, we have got to be better in duels, passing the ball, keeping the ball.

“Sometimes we were too naive with the ball, not taking the right decision, and it was too easy to get a transition against us.

“We know that when we attack we commit players forward, and if we lose the ball we need to make a foul as quickly as possible. We weren’t doing that.

“I’m not going to lie, these are difficult times, but it’s only us that can turn around.

“We have to be better, work even harder. We have to turn this around, it’s only us that can do it.”

Aberdeen now face a trip to Kilmarnock on Wednesday.

“We want to be playing as many games as possible, that’s what this football club demands,” Mitov said.

“This football club needs to be in Europe every season and we are not meeting those targets at the moment.

“We know the responsibility of playing for Aberdeen and we have to be better. No-one knows this better than us. It’s no good me standing here telling you these things, we have to show it on the pitch.”