St Mirren v Motherwell: I expect a battle in Paisley, says Motherwell boss
Jens Berthel Askou says Motherwell have to win the battle before the game at St Mirren on Saturday.
Danish boss Askou expects a very different game in Paisley to their league opener at home to Rangers, which ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Askou anticipates a strong, physical tussle at St Mirren, but also be fully tested, against a side that pushed Celtic close before losing 1-0 on Sunday.
He said: 'We finished the game on Monday, in terms of watching what we did well and what we need to improve, and we know this week's game is going to be a very different type of football game.
'We face an opponent who has some very different strengths, and methods, and approach to the game as Rangers would, which will give us some other challenges.
'That means we've tried to prepare for that, while still focusing on ourselves and the way we want to approach the game, and how to get as much as possible on our terms – that's the key for us.
'We know there are going to be moments when we have to fight, physically, and duel with them. It's hard to take that out of a game when you play against St Mirren.
'There are going to be times when we will have to be very patient, in possession, in order to open them up, because they're very well structured, they work extremely hard, and close the space very well.
'We saw that against Celtic, when they played a very good game, and were able to keep Celtic away from a lot of big chances for most of the game.
'They have that physicality that they can apply in the game at all times. They have the ability to really make it physical in your box, and put some pressure on there with some direct play, and a lot of crosses.
'We need to be able to deal with that in a very good way and be strong, and from there, try and make it a game where we're in control.'
Askou added: 'There are a lot of different approaches to the game up here that you need to be able to deal with, against a team in the bottom end of the table, a mid-table team, but also as a top team.
'It means that you can't just be able to play in one phase or two phases of the game, because you need to be able to be good in most phases of the game, and it sets really high demands, and you have to be able to get the game as much on your terms as possible.
'I think we've been better and better at that in the games, and Saturday is going to be a very big test.'
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