Alfred Johansson sees what's providing Motherwell success platform and why boss won't abandon his philosophy

The former Rosenborg boss has continued predecessor Jens Berthel Askou’s possession-based style that took the club to fourth place in last season’s Premiership, unlocking Conference League qualifiers, where they’ve met Europa League finalists Freiburg in the play-off round. A 3-1 defeat at Fir Park during leg one has pushed them towards an exit but Johansson’s team stuck to their beliefs and took the lead against elite opposition with a sweeping team goal. The Swede questioned himself when his ex-side in Norway sacked him earlier this year but abandoning his beliefs is something he’ll never do.

“When I left Rosenborg I questioned myself,” said Johansson. “But when things are going well, you're also questioning yourself. When it goes bad, you question yourself even more. This is self-confidence and you try to find the answers. If any manager at any point says they are not doubting their decisions, they are liars because everyone does. I still believe in my capabilities, in that I can do it. You doubt your decisions all the time but not your philosophy.“

Why did Motherwell hire Alfred Johansson?

Scottish football’s traditional style based in physicality had Johansson wondering whether or not Motherwell was right for him. Talks with CEO Brian Caldwell and head of football Nick Daws sold him on the Fir Park club being committed to their beliefs in playing a progressive style that has boosted attendances.

“When you feel an alignment, like I do at Motherwell, where people say this is the way we do it and it’s the way we want to move forwards because we believe it’s the best way then it’s so much easier,” Johansson added. “Football clubs, board members and sporting directors often have a tendency to be emotionally connected to results. I’m not saying that was the case at my previous club or here at Motherwell. But generally speaking, in football, that is the case. When you sit down with a club and you talk about wanting to do things in a particular way, everyone agrees and shakes hands and so on.

“They maybe want young players playing this way or players training hard and so on. But as soon as you lose a couple of games these things are not important anymore - and in the end the results were the most important.

“That’s why it’s easier if you have an alignment at a club. I was surprised when a club from Scotland approached me because Scottish football and the style of play has always been very different from the style I’ve played with my teams. But they showed how they’d played last year and how the strategy behind finding the previous manager was in line with a model.

“They found me because it’s a good fit with that model. They can show the data and video to back that up. When it’s the same people still running the show with the chief executive Brian Caldwell, head of recruitment Nick Daws and the same board members it gives you a lot of credibility. Then it looked like a perfect match for me. I have no problem with a different style of play. A team like Hibs play totally differently to us. But every manager has to get their team playing how they dream about how they want their team to play when they go to bed. I have to do it my way otherwise I wouldn’t be good. That’s why it’s important as a manager you go somewhere you can be yourself.”