Despite Jimmy Thelin’s reluctance to publicly declare Aberdeen as title contenders, Johan Larsson is confident that the calm-headed Swede believes he can end Celtic’s dominant streak in Scottish football. Thelin has kicked off his tenure at Pittodrie with an impressive undefeated run, winning 14 out of his 15 games in charge – with the only blemish being a draw at Parkhead.
As the co-leaders of the Premiership, Aberdeen can extend their lead over Rangers to a significant nine points if Thelin can orchestrate a tenth consecutive victory at Pittodrie tomorrow. A win would further solidify the Dons’ position as a legitimate threat to Celtic’s reign as champions.
While Thelin remains tight-lipped in the media, Larsson, who played for Thelin at Elfsborg, believes that his former coach has aspirations to shake up European football by the end of the season. Larsson stated, “Jimmy might not say it aloud, but I am confident that he is contemplating it. Aberdeen seems to have that winning mentality, especially after their stellar performance against Celtic. When Jimmy decided to move to Scotland, he had a desire to accomplish something remarkable.”
Although the general expectation is for Celtic to maintain their stronghold on the title, Larsson draws parallels between Aberdeen’s current situation and Elfsborg’s under Thelin’s leadership in 2023, where they nearly clinched the league title. Larsson recalled, “People initially underestimated our capabilities at Elfsborg, similar to how they view Aberdeen now. But our strong performance eventually changed people’s perceptions and beliefs that we could challenge for the title.”
In light of Aberdeen’s recent success under Thelin, Larsson remains optimistic that the Dons can upset the status quo in Scottish football and create history once again.
