Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie reflected on the unpredictable nature of football as his team prepares to face Heart of Midlothian this Sunday.
Hearts ended the 2023/24 season 20 points ahead of the Dons, who endured a turbulent campaign and managed to limp to a seventh-place Scottish Premiership finish.
Fast forward five months and Aberdeen have the opportunity to go 19 points ahead of the Tynecastle club if they can register a victory when the pair meet at Pittodrie.
The hosts are joint top with Celtic, having won all six of their league matches so far, and 12 games in total under new boss Jimmy Thelin's leadership. Meanwhile Hearts have already sacked Steven Naismith from his head coach role and sit bottom.
Discussing how quickly things can change, Shinnie noted that their rivals form can fluctuate the other way, and he is well aware that Aberdeen can't treat this upcoming clash lightly.
“Football’s mad, isn’t it?," the Aberdeen skipper said during Friday's press conference.
"Football is mad. Different seasons, different things happen. Obviously, the year before that, we finished third.
“So it can changes all the time. We’re focused on trying to continue our run and continue what we’ve been doing well, build on it and keep getting better.
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“And that’s really where our focus has been. Football’s mad, mad things happen.
“We all know that, but what we know is Hearts are a good side, and we’re well aware of that, and we know what we’ve got to do to try and win.
“I think the league table now will be different come the end of the season.
“There’s a long way to go. We need to have full focus on what we’re doing, which is has been what’s been good for us so far this season.
“We’ve been focusing a lot on the style of play and what we’re trying to do and try to get better in each game, and I think at this stage of the season, it is trying to continue that and strive to keep getting better with it.
“And obviously, on top of that, winning games is also key as well.”
Previewing Hearts’ visit to the Granite City, Shinnie outlined the threat that the capital outfit pose - especially after beating Dinamo Minsk through Yan Dhanda’s last minute winner in Azerbaijan on Thursday night.
He continued: “Hearts are a good team coming off the back of a very good result in Europe.
“We all know what standard of player they’ve got and the talent in that squad is very good.
“It’s going to be a tough game as it always is between Aberdeen and Hearts.
“We are well aware of the threats they pose and they will be coming here with confidence after beating Dinamo Minsk.
“That means we need to be at the top of our game to make sure we keep our winning run going.
“Hearts are in a false position, let’s be honest.
“Steven Naismith did so well last season he has maybe just not got them going this season which happens.
“It is a fresh face with Foxy taking over, the squad they have got is good, and they will start winning games.
“Although we have had good results recently we are still trying to grow.”
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Manager Thelin confirmed that top scorer Pape Habib Gueye has successfully undergone surgery in London as he begins a lengthy rehabilitation process.
The 25-year-old is expected to be sidelined until early January 2025 because of a muscle injury sustained in training last week.
Thelin knows how much of a blow losing the new fans favourite is to his high-flying squad, but has backed the forward to return as an even better player.
"You have to think about the individual," he explained. "He is a player and a human, who works so hard and was on loan and has come back and made a great start.
“He has been playing with a smile on his face in the training sessions and the games too. He has scored some really important goals and has really contributed to how we defend and to the energy of the team.
“He is a really positive guy and we have a good medical team here and he will have a big support from us. Sometimes you can go out strong in these situations (and come back even stronger). “I am sure he will do that.”
