Motherwell find themselves enduring their worst league slump in 23 years, with a run of six straight defeats leaving the Fir Park club sitting just a solitary point above the foot of the Scottish Premiership table. The slide represents a stark departure from last season, when pundit Chris Sutton described Jens Berthel Askou's side as the best football team he had watched north or south of the border. After finishing fourth and briefly flirting with outside title contention—having dismantled Wilfried Nancy's Celtic, defeated Rangers at Ibrox, and demolished St Mirren in Paisley—the squad is now desperate for a turnaround under Swedish manager Alfred Johansson following an early League Cup exit at Stenhousemuir.
A massive summer turnover appears central to their current struggles. Askou departed for Toulouse, while key contributors Elijah Just, Elliot Watt, Callum Slattery, and Scotland defender Stephen Welsh all left for substantial transfer sums. Coupled with goalkeeper Calum Ward's move to QPR and an injury list that includes club captain Paul McGinn, Johansson has faced significant disruption. Although Motherwell recorded an opening league victory at Easter Road and previously pushed Europa League finalists Freiburg close across two legs, the side has struggled to replicate last season's intricate cohesion.
A look at the underlying statistics shows that their issues stem far more from the backline than the attack. Motherwell are averaging an extra shot on target per game at 14.5, final-third pass completions are slightly higher, and expected goals (xG) have actually increased from 1.48 to 1.6, despite actual scoring slipping from 1.55 to 1.1 goals per match. Defensively, however, the regression is pronounced. According to Opta, goals conceded per game have nearly doubled from 0.95 to 1.8, while expected goals against has risen from 1.24 to 1.76. Furthermore, they face an average of five more shots per match and are winning roughly 5% fewer duels.
Former Celtic and Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan observed on BBC Scotland that Motherwell have lost their defensive bite and fluidity, noting that they no longer press with the same aggression or link up as effectively as when Askou drew opponents wide before switching play. However, Allan stressed that the team still displays positive signs and could reignite their campaign with a scrappy 1-0 win, provided they solidify performance in both penalty boxes. Motherwell will have an immediate chance to respond when they travel to St Johnstone on Wednesday ahead of hosting St Mirren on Saturday.