Motherwell seek to go 8 games unbeaten || Motherwell v Livingston Preview
- Ruaraidh Blackwood
- Dec 6
- 6 min read
The Well were held to a frustratingly boring draw against Falkirk in midweek, and again it's a cluster of games in a matter of days for the Steelmen. After a smash-and-grab at the Spaghettihad, Motherwell look it to do the double over Davie Martindale's Livingston.
With our faltering away to Falkirk, and Celtic picking up maximum points in Dundee, the gap above is again widened to 9 points. However, with Rangers again drawing - this time with Dundee United - we are still clinging to third by our fingernails.
Livi are still propping up the table, with only 8 points gained in 14 games and one win - coming against Falkirk in Matchday 2. The West Lothian side are not without their merit though, taking the lead in three of their losses so far (including against Motherwell). They've perhaps rode their luck on other occasions though, with multiple last minute equalisers coming in tight games.
The Form Guide...
Motherwell come into this game on the second longest unbeaten run in the league - second only to Rangers. Seven games unbeaten on the bounce is a good stat for any side, but with 4 wins and 3 draws Askou's side come into this one with a fair bit of confidence. The only frustration - perhaps - for Well fans is the fact we haven't scored a goal in 248 minutes of football, since Eli Just's rebound against Hibs.
On the flip side, we've also not conceded in the last 3 games. This is testament to the defensive rigour that goes from back to front, and very much down to the form of the likes of McGinn, Welsh, and Ward (with what little he's had to deal with).
Makes for grim viewing for our opposition, doesn't it? Picking up only 2 points out of the last 15 is relegation form, and not something that could potentially be overturned. Livi are staring down the barrel of becoming a yo-yo club, and it's not even halfway through the season.
In fairness, two late goals against Falkirk and Hibs was enough to rescue a point in both matches, but it is indeed a dire state of affairs for the Lions. Ironically, Livi have done decidedly better on other plastic pitches: beating Falkirk and drawing with Hibs at home, as well as drawing with Falkirk and Killie away.
Max Rogers Pre-Match Press Conference...
No new injury concerns again from midweek, which gives more evidence to our thinking that Elliot Watt was rested.
Rogers gave credit to Falkirk for how they defended, and pressed, us in midweek and made it difficult for us to play. He also seemed - at least publicly - to view it as a point gained rather than two points dropped, which makes sense considering how the game panned out. It also came with the lesson that - should teams try and press us in a similar manner in the future - we've learned the lesson of 'where to find the free man' elsewhere on the park. It's good to have also learned that lesson from a position of relative strength too, with a point being gained in the process.
He did talk briefly about the difference in surface and, with the temperature being as low as it was, how it differed the conditions slightly, but never used it as an excuse for how we played, and spoke more from a position of learning from those lessons and moving on.
Rogers then went on to discuss how impressed he's been - and how much focus has been put on - the defensive discipline we've showed over the last few games. Early on in the season, we were almost becoming known for being a free-flowing attacking team who'd leave exploitable gaps at the back door. This would then mean we were susceptible to being pegged back and not perhaps getting the points from games that we deserve. E.g up till this point in the season, we have lost 12 points from winning positions. If we had managed to see out those games, we would currently be sitting pretty at the top of the table. Even if we'd managed to see out the games we ended up drawing, we'd be 4 points off top spot, instead of the 11 points adrift we are now. What is pleasing to hear - again - is how willing and able the players have been to buy into the tactical structure that has since been coached, and how much it has paid dividends.
He finished with remarks on the game on Saturday. As a staff, they reminded the players that - while they're playing a team who are currently struggling, they need to still train and play with intensity and a high workrate. This will then, hopefully, translate into attacking positions and chances. He credited Livingston's xG stats, and admits that - while they are nowhere near where they'd like to be in the league - they do still carry a very good physical and set-piece threat. This will by no means be a steam-rolling, and Livingston will absolutely make us work for every blade of grass.
The Teams...
Motherwell lined up against Falkirk in a rather nostalgic 4-4-2. We, of course, know that this is far more fluid than any 4-4-2 we would've known back in the day, but a 4-4-2 nonetheless.
Askou named three changes to the team that dominated against Hearts, with Sparrow, Said, and Priestman coming in for Koutroumbis, Just, and Watt. The latter was left out of the squad entirely, though probably just because of the congestion of the schedule.
While it was a defensively resolute performance in midweek, it was also decidedly toothless on the front foot. Longelo and Tawanda went closest either side of half-time, but both were perhaps half chances.
Livingston have tended to prefer a 4-2-3-1 over the course of the season, but have also cycled through a number of other systems, with limited success. They've used: a 4-3-3, a 3-4-3, a 3-5-2, and a 5-4-1, and this sparks of a team lacking both identity and structure.
Livingston have 14 players who are in double-digits for appearances so far this campaign, and 6 have double-digit 'starts', but have all been used in a variety of positions, outside of goalie Jérôme Prior. For example, Tete Yengi will sometimes play as a solo striker with May, Pittman and Smith in behind but, on other occasions, Bokila will play up top with May in the 10 and Smith and Yengi providing width. For all Motherwell will also fiddle with line-ups and systems sometimes, this seems more like a manager who doesn't seem to have found his best 11 yet, despite being 14 games in. He claims he uses different systems and formations as a way of combating each individual game as it comes, but considering they're bottom of the table, I would be inclined to say this hasn't worked.
The Tactics...
So, how do we break Livingston down?
Firstly, the surface. Motherwell have only lost one league game at home this season (against Falkirk), and with our carpet of a pitch, it should allow us to more easily stamp our tempo and style onto the game. Livingston, on the other hand, have only amassed a measly two points from games in which they've played on grass this season. We all know how decidedly awful Livingston's surface is - how inconsistently the ball lands, how harsh the impact is on players and so on - but the fact that they play on it once every other week is definitely a positive for them, considering it is where their only win has come this campaign.
Secondly, our style of play. Livingston, from what I have seen, are quite heavily reliant on their physical prowess to dominate games. However, if we can keep passes short and sharp while going forward, as well as dominate possession in all areas, we should find there to be very little threat in terms of being 'outplayed'. Also, given our defensive confidence coming into the game, I would postulate that the only real issue for Motherwell in this game is whether or not we find the back of the net.
That being said, however, Livingston are not without their dangers. On their surface in October, Livingston had two big chances in the first half - as well as more shots than we did - and could have very easily been 2-0 up at half-time. Like I mentioned earlier, fine margins.
With physically-dominant figures such as Yengi (1.98m), Muirhead (1.91m), Bokila (1.88m) and Sylla (1.88m), set-pieces are almost certainly going to be a potential source for goals. While Motherwell have very much learnt to deal with such threats over the last few games, it always remains a threat with such height against a team that may feature Ibrahim Said (1.73m), Eli Just, Lukas Fadinger, Elliot Watt, Callum Hendry (all 1.75m), and Paul McGinn (1.78m). In fact, our tallest outfield player is Stephen Welsh at 1.88m, which is still no match for 6'6 Yengi.
To Sum Up...
This has the potential of a banana skin for the Well, but so long as we turn up, and play our football, I can only hope that this could be the game that gets our forwards more confident in front of goal, while reinforcing our defensive rigidity.
Enjoyed this article? There's more in the fanzine!
Comments