Motherwell put dangerous Celtic quartet on their radar as Steelmen plot plan to halt Hoops 'nightmare'
Motherwell host Celtic in a critical Premiership clash on Wednesday night.
There’s a Celtic man in form to be aware of - but Motherwell know it’s more than just Daizen Maeda needing stopped if they are to topple the Hoops.
Plenty of eyes will be on Fir Park with regards Premiership title implications. A win for the home side coupled with top of the league Hearts defeating Falkirk will see Celtic relinquish the crown they’ve held for much of this last decade. Avoiding a sombre afternoon against Hearts on Saturday can be done primarily by winning in Lanarkshire, albeit draw for Celtic or a maroon slip up would also unlock a final day shootout at Parkhead.
Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou acknowledges excitement at the top but it’s of no interest to him as he seeks to secure fourth spot and a Conference League qualifier this summer. To do that, they’ll need to put the shackles on Celtic forward Maeda, who’s double in the weekend’s derby win over Rangers showed an attacker in top form. Askou - suggested by many as a next Celtic manager contender - reckons there are others he will need to plan for.
What Celtic players will be key vs Motherwell?
"Celtic have Daizen Maeda and obviously now he's looking sharp,” said Askou. “And he doesn't even have to look at the goal when he shoots anymore to score. So they have many good players that you need to control. It's not just him. Because if you just focus on him, then suddenly Benjamin Nygren will drift off his shoulder and he's free in the box. Or Yang [Hyun-jun] will sneak in there. Or Arne Engels will run straight past you and then you get done by one of them.
“They have good players, very good players. Who can decide the game in a moment if you're not ready or if you're not paying attention. In general, the way we play is set up to be able to deal with intense, dynamic, high-tempo football. The players know Daizen Maeda quite well. So they know that they have to be on their toes against him also individually.
“It's so big for us. Obviously the last five games leading into the split were not, result-wise, our best. We had to lift ourselves in certain areas to be able to get the points and get to where we are now. Which is really, really positive that we've been able to do that this late in the season. I have all the confidence in the world that we need in the squad right now to attack the game."
How are Motherwell preparing for Daizen Maeda?
Centre-back Liam Gordon returned to the Motherwell starting XI for the first time since February in Saturday’s draw with Hearts. He will likely start again with injuries to Paul McGinn and Jordan McGhee at the back, while Stephen Welsh is ineligible against his parent side, and the threat of Maeda is something the defender is geared up for.
“It's a centre-half’s nightmare, or defender's nightmare,” said Gordon of the pressing qualities in the Japanese international. “But you've got to relish these opportunities. You're playing against the best players in the league, internationalists. So you just need to be even sharper in your mind and sharper physically and technically as well because you won't get a minute's peace against them. We know how difficult that is, he catches people every week. So whoever's playing they're going to need to be on their metal because it will be a handful for 90 minutes.”
The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.