Aberdeen: What to expect from Stephen Robinson?

Only St Mirren scored fewer goals than Aberdeen last season, with the Dons finding the net 40 times in 38 league matches. Away from home that rate was even poorer.

It’s a problem they simply need to address if they want to return to the top half of the table. So how could they go about it?

No team played more long passes than St Mirren during Robinson’s four years in charge, with only Celtic and Rangers putting more balls into the opposition box.

They consistently used three centre-backs with wing-backs, sometimes with two strikers, but at other points with two advanced midfielders either side of a single striker.

Will Robinson take a similar shape? He arrived last season while trying to add some defensive solidity.

But the addition of winger Tony Yoghan from Dundee, the return of Tyosi Olusania, and interest in getting more from Kenan Bilalovic could mean the 4-3-3 is a good option to get the best out of them and Aberdeen’s full-backs, none of whom are suited to wing-backs.

Only Sebastien Tunecti, Alexandros Kyziridis, Mikey, Moore and Zeidi Gassama created more chances off the dribble than Yogan last season.

And although Dundee often played with three at the back and wing-backs, the former Brentford man benefited from more space to run instead of overlapping the players around him, and Robinson has regularly talked about getting more from pace in the team.

Up front, despite being starved of service, Kevin Nisbett was the club’s top scorer with 11 goals.

With Marco Lajetic potentially moving on, Moroccan striker Ayoub Mouloua joined last week after scoring 19 goals in 53 games for FUS Rabat.

Like Nisbett, the 23-year-old doesn’t appear to be a traditional target man, which could also indicate a different approach to Robinson.

Saturday’s friendly against FC Twente after a week’s training camp in the Netherlands will tell fans more about how Aberdeen want to play.