Motherwell boss plans one key tactic to 'stress' Rangers as Ibrox frustrations could work in visitors favour
The Steelmen travel to Ibrox Saturday for the first of five post-split encounters
Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou is hoping his side can make Rangers ‘chase the ball’ in this weekend’s encounter.
The Dane, who has earned plenty of plaudits this season, has been impressed by the way Danny Rohl’s side have handled the pressure of being involved in a title race, particularly after a poor start. The Light Blues currently sit a point behind Hearts and three ahead of Celtic going into the last five matches. The far from ideal start began at Fir Park this season, where Rangers drew 1-1 with the the Steelmen on the opening day, however given the form of Askou’s side throughout the season, former boss Russell Martin may actually have gained a valuable point.
Motherwell have been one this season’s surprise packages and were on the verge of the title race themselves until a recent dip in form. Every match between Rangers and Motherwell so far has been on a knife-edge. February’s encounter at Fir Park also ended in a 1-1 stalemate, while Rangers scraped a 1-0 win at Ibrox the last time they faced in Govan. Askou’s men may be winless in five, but still have European ambitions with Hibs on their tail.
Askou on Rangers clash
Motherwell boast one of the best defensive records in the division, making their possession-based, attacking style of play even more impressive. Even against the stronger teams in the league, they’ve went to places like Ibrox and Celtic Park without fear and have still tried to move the ball from the back. Askou is hoping they can continue this on Sunday in an attempt to ‘frustrate’ the home crowd.
He said: “Obviously, the better we look, the more we stress them, the more we can make them chase the ball and make them struggle producing chances. Can we even score a goal or two there? That will obviously frustrate them at times and then we know at some point whether it's an open game that's equal, whether they'll be behind or we have to chase and it opens up.
“Because we have to invest even more or whether they have to put the speeder down towards the end and chase a result where they're behind. They have the intensity with the crowd and the level of players to really speed up the game, so we need to be prepared for that. I think we have been every time we've played them and I'm sure we will again."
Motherwell boss praises Gers’ handling of pressure
Rangers have had their backs against the wall on several occasions this season, most recently in their last league match away to Falkirk when they went 2-0. They hit back with goal after goal, eventually prevailing 6-3. Askou praised his weekend opponents on their ability to handle the heat in the midst of a title race.
He added: “Look, they've been under pressure since the start of the season, haven't they? If you look at their results, they have been able to deal extremely well with that pressure. Now they're in a much better position than they were last time we played them. I would rather think that they have a bigger feeling of momentum and being on top than they feel that extreme pressure that has been surrounding Ibrox and Govan for almost all the season.”