Due to another impressive home victory, Motherwell sit 4th in the Scottish Premiership following a 2-0 win over Aberdeen - their third on the bounce.
The title of this article may seem fairly reactionary but the Well have spent efficiently in the transfer window. In addition to that, they have a manager who can mix attack with defence in a hard to beat style of football that if consistently pulled off could result in European football at Fir Park. However, do they have enough to finish above the competition?
Start to the Season
Motherwell have won three out of five of their opening fixtures resulting in them being behind only Rangers, Hearts and Hibs. Interestingly however the three victories were picked up in their most recent games suggesting that this could be the start of an important run of form. The first two games weren't awful either. Their opening day fixture was an entertaining fixture against a free-flowing Hibernian. It ended in a 3-2 loss but Motherwell never looked out of it during the 90 and played some high-quality football at points. The second was a 1-1 with St Johnstone who were high in confidence having come off an away draw with Galatasaray. The Saints took the lead but were pulled back by a Tony Watt equaliser, the former Hoops man's first goal in a run of three consecutive games of hitting the back of the net.
The Saints fixture was followed by a win over Martindale's Livingston who have struggled to start the season. It wasn't a routine 2-1 victory for the Well with Livi managing 13 shots but was a needed win to get that first three points, particularly over a weaker side. The next win was over Dundee who offered an even tougher challenge to the one that Livingston posed. Dundee finished the game with 15 shots to Motherwell's 4 but the defence stood resolute even with 10 men to win the game. The most recent game and by far the most impressive was the Well's 2-0 win over Aberdeen. Yes- the Dons didn't come into the game in good form but there is no doubt there is quality in that side. An inspired performance from Van Veen lead Motherwell to a massive 2-0 victory at Pittodrie.
Transfer Business
Liam Kelly
Arguably the most important signing Motherwell made this summer was Liam Kelly. The former Rangers man was massive on loan from QPR last season and gifted his side multiple points throughout the season during the good and the bad. Kelly is still 25 so has time to improve and has already been rewarded with a Scotland call-up having proved himself to Steve Clarke.
Kevin Van Veen
Another big addition to the squad over the course of the transfer window was Dutch striker, Kevin Van Veen. The free transfer from Scunthorpe looks a bigger signing now than it was at the time following an impressive start to the season. Averaging 1.8 shots per game and having already created two big chances, Van Veen is the spark Motherwell needed at points last year. The 30-year-old is on three goal contributions in four games so far and looks set to add to his tally,
Other notable signings include: Justin Amaluzor and Juhani Ojala who have played a big part so far as well as players such as Sean Goss, Jordan Roberts and Kaiyne Woolery.
Competition
To get that elusive European football Motherwell will have to bat off teams such as Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Hibs and Hearts. The two Edinburgh sides have looked impressive so far and very evenly matched particularly when looking at their draw with each other. I can't see Motherwell matching Hibernian on an attacking front but their organisation and overall shape could provide results in those big games against close competition. Aberdeen started well but are going through a poor patch which Motherwell are currently capitalising on with their recent wins and St Johnstone will have to get over the loss of major players Ali McCann and Jason Kerr. These teams are all strong opposition but Motherwell's good start has rewarded them with valuable early points over particularly Aberdeen and the Saints. However consistency is key when trying to finish high in the Premiership and we can't base too much off these first five games.
Conclusion
Motherwell have started and strengthened well giving them a good advantage early on but we'll have to wait and see whether it's going to kick start a run into 4th or 3rd. Considering they weren't really in the conversation for a European finish before the season started the first five games have definitely been positive to the progression of the team under Graham Alexander.
Comments