Motherwell currently lie in 5th in the Scottish Premiership after 14 games. They’re 9 points off top and have 6 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses with a -2 goal difference. They’ve scored the 4th most goals but conceded the 4th most. Their preferred formation is 4-3-3.

KEY STATS

As mentioned above, Motherwell have scored the 4th most goals in the league, but they’ve done this while only averaging 7.79 shots per game which is in the bottom 3 in the league. They have a league best 45.8% shot accuracy. 

The top 3 clubs in the table are Rangers, Celtic and Hearts who are 7th, 9th and 6th in shot accuracy. However they are in the top 3 for attempts per game averaging between 17 and 11 shots. This indicates that creating scoring opportunities is very important but in order to do so there are some important factors such as possession and passing accuracy in the final third. 

Celtic, Rangers and Hearts are the top 3 in the league for final third passing success, with the Glasgow giants the only clubs with over 75% accuracy. The 75% accuracy mark is an important one as it’s been proven as having a significant impact on creating goal scoring opportunities, even more so than possession.

Motherwell is 10th in the league in number of final third passes per game (43.88) at only around 56% success. The only top 5 team outside the top 5 for passes into the final third. In fact, Motherwell are equal bottom with Livingston for number of passes per possession (10.7).

 They like to attack directly and get balls into the box but they are only 11th in touches in the penalty box. It’s the opportunities more than the desire that has them so low.

This direct playing style can be further highlighted in their possession stats which has them 11th with 40.2% possession, which has them alongside the bottom 4 clubs. Their long passing stats have them 4th most in the league and 4th in accuracy.

They don’t have anyone in the side playing regularly in the top 30 for passing success into the Final Third. Their right back, Stephen O’Donnell, does make the top 20 for passes per game into the final 3rd but his accuracy is only 66.7%.

Their veteran central midfielder, Liam Donnelly, has only played 200 minutes of football this season but his overall passing accuracy is 87.88% and his final third passing accuracy is around 72%. The question is are the team playing with the philosophy of the manager? Or is the manager making the best with the cards dealt? 

If a team is controlling the pace and controlling their attacks with considered and patient ball movement they invariably create more scoring opportunities. Although Motherwell have been experiencing relative success with their current approach, it is unlikely to have prolonged success or elevate them above their current position.

Of course the level of opposition does play a role in what you are able and unable to do. Celtic and Rangers have the resources to build a squad and have the coaches to dominate most games in the Scottish Premiership. 

It’d be naive to think it’s merely a change of philosophy needed for Motherwell to be more competitive. It’s also impossible to ignore the financial realities of their situation. However, these are just challenges that the football department and those running the club must work to overcome. 

SQUAD BUILDING 

A club like Motherwell has the challenge of building a competitive team on a budget. The positive that they have is that in the football ecosystem the Scottish Premiership is somewhere in the upper middle of the deck as a drawcard. 

The options of player recruitment are loan players from bigger clubs, players in lower tiers in big football countries such as England, players in leagues like Lithuania, players coming out of contract and players from smaller domestic clubs. Revenue and finances are always an issue so leagues with low average wages and fringe players at clubs not on big wages are obvious targets but generating wealth through intelligent recruitment is also key.

This is where you hope to get a player of an age and ability or potential ability that they will have resale value. Targeting players between 20 and 25 years of age is optimal for the potential future sale profits. Of course, players must show an aptitude for the type of football the manager and club want to play.

In this case, Motherwell need players who are comfortable on the ball and can distribute but also need players who can put in a shift defensively and are good in the air. The focus is on the spine of the team so central midfielders and central defenders are the priority.

Below are some examples of players who might fit the bill:

DEFENCE

Johan Stenmark (CB), Kalmar FF

Gagi Margvelashvili (CB), Dinamo Batumi

Sondre Skogen (CB), Feyenoord U23

We can see that the Motherwell centre backs provide a lot of value defensively and little value offensively compared to their counterparts. This is because Motherwell concede so much possession that they are often on the back foot that their defenders don’t have the opportunity to play a role in their build up.

MIDFIELD

Giedrius Matulevičius (CM/DM), FK Sūduva 

Christos Gravius (CM/DM), Degerfors IF

Karolis Uzėla (DM/CM), FK Žalgiris

The Motherwell midfield have a good balance between their defensive and offensive value whereas the recommended signings balance is more towards the offensive end. Like the defenders, it’s the lack of possession and low success rate of attacking actions when playing a direct style that is a major factor in this

All suggested players are within the age range mentioned above, have passing success into the final third of 75%, are solid defensively, and have an overall high success rate of total actions attempted as we can see with their WR (work rate) and SWR (successful work rate). Their specific CB (centre back) and CM (central midfield) value is also high.

Of course it’s possible that just a change in approach could improve the value of the current Motherwell players while creating more opportunities and restricting opportunities of the opposition. Motherwell players have shown some good qualities like being good in the air, solid defensively, and also comfortable with the ball at their feet; so asking them to play a more considered build up in attack and protect possession better could work. However, bringing in fitting reinforcements will at the very least bring more competition which will improve the squad.

The suggested players have shown this past year that their individual skills can fit the type of game plan which does result in creating more opportunities in the final third as well as protecting the ball. They also represent resale value should they continue their form in the Scottish Premiership.