Motherwell

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Elijah Just has been taken aback by Motherwell's success - even though he was already well versed in Jens Berthel Askou's methods.

The Steelmen sit third after an eight-match unbeaten league run and will move three points behind Celtic if they beat Dundee United on Saturday.

New Zealand attacking midfielder Just was signed by Askou at both Danish side Horsens - where they fought relegation - and Motherwell.

Just said: "The situation I was in with the manager last time I worked with him was very different from now.

"Obviously I spoke to him a lot before I signed. But everything he spoke to me about has come true.

"I've been pleasantly surprised and I think exceeded my own expectations of what the season was going to be like.

"But there's a long way to go and I think the true test will be how we fare over the next few months to really see what the table will end up looking like.

"Of course, you always look at the table. But the teams are so close together at the moment that, it might look nice now where we are, but in two or three weeks, it can change drastically.

"So we are just focusing on each game and then by the end of the season, I think you'll get a fair representation of where we belong."

Just has an added incentive to maintain his and his team's form with the World Cup looming next summer.

The 25-year-old has scored eight goals in 40 internationals and is on course to face Belgium, Egypt and Iran in North America.

"I didn't enjoy watching the actual draw, but when they finally pulled the names out of the hat, it was exciting," he said.

"We were the last team drawn out, so we had to wait a while.

"But after the draw, things have started to feel a little bit more real. We only have one more window in March before the actual World Cup so there's a lot of incentive to play well."

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• Dundee United have won four of their past six home league games against Motherwell (L2), as many as their previous 12 beforehand (W4 D4 L4).

• Motherwell have won five of their past seven games against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership (L2), as many as their previous 19 prior (W5 D4 L10).

• Dundee United are winless in six Scottish Premiership games (D3 L3), their longest run within a single season in the competition since April 2023 (11).

• Motherwell are unbeaten in eight league games (W5 D3), their longest run within a single season since April 2013 (also 8).

• The Steelmen last enjoyed a longer unbeaten run within a single league campaign in March 2010 (12).

• Motherwell haven't conceded in four successive league games, last going on a longer run of clean sheets in February 2010 (5).

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou insists it has been "extremely satisfying" to see existing players prove they can flourish in his bold style of play.

While new signings such as Elijah Just and Elliot Watt have been key in Motherwell's evolution to a slick passing side, Askou's methods have reaped rewards with players who were already at Fir Park.

Premiership Player of the Month Tawanda Maswanhise has 12 goals already this season - double the total he got last term - and the often underappreciated Stephen O'Donnell was serenaded by the Fir Park fans after a man-of-the-match performance in last Saturday's 3-0 win over Livingston.

The starting line-up in that game featured eight players who were signed before Askou's arrival.

"In general it's been pleasing that players that some would have maybe written off and said, 'no, that type of football is not for him', that they have managed to actually be really, really good and strong players in what we're doing," said the Dane.

"That has been extremely fulfilling and satisfying for them as individuals, but especially for us as a club and as a group, that a lot of the players who were already here have been thriving in this, which means we don't have five, six, seven players that have been left behind by the development.

"There's always one or two that might be caught on the wrong side of the competition, who need to move on when the next window of opportunity comes, and then we'll see.

"But it's very, very few, and it's not like we have players who have not done well. When they have played or when they are in training, they all look comfortable and really good, and I think that has been extremely satisfying."

Motherwell are now unbeaten in eight Premiership games and sit third before Saturday's trip to face Dundee United.

Askou said: "The key thing is not to dwell on that and think we're fantastic because we've had a good run.

"It's going to be harder and harder to win games the more you win, and we also know that the team we are playing on Saturday is a very good team who have not had the results that I think they're worth as a group."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Jim Goodwin is hoping Dundee United can transform their fortunes against a Motherwell side he describes as "the most in-form team in the league".

While Motherwell are up to third with an eight-game unbeaten league run, United are enduring "the toughest period" of Goodwin's tenure.

The Tannadice side, currently in eighth place, have just one victory in 10 games and are seeking a first win in seven this weekend.

"It's only natural when you're on the type of run that we're on that your confidence is going to take a bit of a hit," manager Goodwin said.

"But we believe in what we're doing. We are going through, probably, the toughest period that I've experienced during my time as United manager.

"Football is not a bed of roses all the time, you've got to find a way to get through these difficult periods."

United are now tasked with overcoming a visiting Motherwell side that Goodwin feels have been "totally transformed" under new boss Jens Berthel Askou.

The Steelmen defeated United 2-0 at Fir Park in late October and have lost just twice in 16 league outings.

"It's quite a remarkable transformation and he deserves a huge amount of credit," the Irishman added.

"Given results, and where Motherwell are sitting in the table, I imagine there's people all over Europe taking notice.

"Motherwell are the most in-form team in the league. The new manager has been incredible in terms of their playing style and they're as difficult an opponent as you can face at this moment in time.

"But we have to believe we're capable of winning the game. We didn't do ourselves justice at Fir Park, the second half was a lot better from us, so we have to make sure we start this game the way we did in the second 45 over there."

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Motherwell forward Tawanda Maswanhise has been confirmed in Zimbabwe's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations and will depart after this weekend's game against Dundee United.

The 23-year-old is the joint top scorer in the Scottish Premiership this season with eight goals in 16 appearances, helping Jens Berthel Askou's side to occupy third spot.

Zimbabwe are in Group B at AFCON where they will play Egypt (22 December), Angola (26 December) and South Africa (29 December) in Morocco.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Tawanda Maswanhise believes Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou has the ability to reach the level of his former Leicester managers Enzo Maresca and Brendan Rodgers.

The Zimbabwe forward was a product of the English side's youth academy and worked under current Chelsea head coach Maresca and ex-Celtic boss Rodgers during his time with the first team.

Despite making just one senior appearance for the club, Maswanhise gained valuable experience working under both coaches before making his move to Motherwell in August last year.

The 23-year-old has already had three different managers at Fir Park, but current boss Jens Berthel Askou is receiving heaps of praise for implementing a brave and exciting brand of football in Lanarkshire.

With the side third in the Scottish Premiership amid an eight-game unbeaten run, Askou is demonstrating in impressive fashion that he can punch above his weight while successfully coaching an attractive style.

When asked if he can see the Dane potentially reaching the level of a Maresca or Rodgers, Maswanhise told BBC Scotland: "Yeah, I can see that type of thing. With those two managers, I'd say he's similar.

"Every manager's got their own system. In pre-season, we just needed time to work on it. It's clearly paying off right now, we're third in the league.

"We're competing with the top teams in Scotland. If we can keep doing this, maybe we'll see ourselves on a European tour next season."

Read more: Maresca, Salah & Motherwell - story of Maswanhise's rise

Motherwell forward Tawanda Maswanhise has been named Scottish Premiership player of the month for November after rising to the top of the scoring chart.

The 23-year-old Zimbabwe international netted three times in four league appearances and is joint leading scorer on eight goals for the season with Hearts' Lawrence Shankland.

Helped by Maswanhise's contributions - a double in the 3-1 win at Kilmarnock and penalty in 2-0 victory over Hibs - the Steelmen remained undefeated during November with two wins and two draws.

"I'm absolutely buzzing to pick up this award," Maswanhise said.

"It's my name on the trophy, but this is a team game, and the way the full squad has contributed to our recent success has been impressive.

"We're all together in this dressing room and I'm delighted with the way things have been going this season.

"We're hoping we can continue that form well into December and the new year."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

The high-flying Steelmen did it again.

Another three points gathered means we remain third and if things continue we may just stay there.

It's not just on the pitch where Motherwell are doing great work. Saturday marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and in true Motherwell fashion we ensured our community offered a safe space for disabled fans to enjoy the game.

We have always had the wheelchair shelter next to the Phil O'Donnell stand. However, bringing technology that allowed blind supporters to be able to actually see what was happening on the pitch is life changing.

As someone with family members that have varying degrees of sight loss, knowing these special augmented reality headsets are an option is mind blowing.

I would never have known this technology existed if it wasn't for the awareness the Well Society and the club's Disabled Supporters Association brought to it.

Motherwell is one of the greatest clubs in the country for what they do for the people of the local community regardless if they are a fan or not.

Outside of having facilities for blind supporters and fans with mobility issues they also released videos of the mascot using sign language. In a society where accessibility can be overlooked it makes an enormous difference.

One thing I will always be proud of is the club truly puts their money where their mouth is when it comes to making sure the people come first.

Motherwell continued their superb league form with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Livingston on Saturday.

Jens Berthel Askou made seven changes to his starting line-up, but there was no drop in performance level as they made it eight games without defeat and four successive clean sheets.

Sportscene pundit Richard Foster is impressed by the depth Askou has built at Fir Park.

"Motherwell have invested in their squad - they have a lot of quality and depth," he said.

"The way they play - they want to get the ball down and pass it - and that pitch is the best in the league, so it works out really well."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Johnny Koutroumbis is superb defensively in this slick Motherwell side and lively going forward.

His part in Jens Berthel Askou's team's win over Livingston on Saturday earns him a spot in my team of the week.

Watch highlights of Motherwell's 3-0 win against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Motherwell's 3-0 win against Livingston.

Here's what some of you said:

Alan: The quality in the squad is coming to the fore creating competition for players in this amazing sequence of games. Three goals without reply helps consolidate Motherwell's third place in the league. The confidence in the team shines through and supporters can only celebrate this cohesive effort by everyone involved. Long may it continue.

Brian: Super-duper result. A game where our excellent play creating chances and more importantly taking them gave us a comfortable victory against David Martindale's resolute Livingston side. Happy me.

James: We go from strength to strength. Another dominant performance, and with so many changes, it seems every player fits into our system. Great to see, and long may it last.

Stuart: Delighted to see us turn dominance into a dominant score line - 3-0 didn't flatter us and we need to continue with this mentality. Take our chances and we have a great, if not once in a lifetime opportunity to do something incredibly special this year.

Alistair: Our two "auld heids", Stephen O'Donnell and Paul McGinn were outstanding, and there were others who were very, very good, notably John Koutroumbis, Elliot Watt, Regan Charles-Cook and Scott Pittman. Calum Ward's distribution was really impressive. All round another excellent team performance, maintaining our push up the league based on a progressive style of football which I have not seen us play in over 60 years of attending Fir Park. Deeply satisfying.

Kevin: A fine example of embracing change and mindset. Confidence is high and rightly so. Players and staff with a smile on their face and it's catching!

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou: "It's hard not to be happy with the run we have gone through over the past two weeks, with five games, four clean sheets, just conceding once, and a good number of points.

"Far from everything has been perfect, I think we can all admit to that, there have been plenty of mistakes, but we have come through a very hectic period with some big games. We've been able to rotate a lot.

"We've seen players in different positions. That's also been important, mixed up some relations on the pitch, and still we've been able to put a very competitive side on the pitch, and that's very exciting for the future.

"We want to be one of the best attacking teams, if not the best, in the league. And we want to have the same level defensively. It's very difficult to create that in a short period of time.

"We have a goalkeeper who has been absolutely outstanding for a long time now, and especially over the last period of time. You see that again today, the few big moments we gave away to the opposition, he took care of them with top, top actions.

"So many positives to take, and obviously we are still reaching for a higher level because I think there's more in us than what we see right now.

"We try to build a style and an approach in this club, that we're not afraid of anything, that we play with bravery and confidence in the way we do things.

"We know it's going to be difficult to do what we do against different opposition, and some games have been extremely difficult. I think today was at times very difficult.

"But we approach every game like we want to win, and that's why we have formed and built this approach to the game, this style of play, because we want to create something where we have this feeling."

Much-changed Motherwell moved to within six points of the Scottish Premiership summit after extending their unbeaten streak to eight games with a routine three-goal win over bottom-club Livingston.

Have your say on the game here.

Read our match report here.

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Motherwell have no fresh injury doubts while Elliot Watt is set to return after being rested at Falkirk.

They are still missing Filip Stuparevic (knee), Aston Oxborough (hand), Sam Nicholson (knee), Zach Robinson (Achilles), Jordan McGhee and Eseosa Sule (both thigh).

Livingston could bring back Connor McLennan and Cammy Kerr while Mo Sylla missed out last time after being injured in an aerial challenge.

Aidan Denholm and Shane Blaney (both hamstring) and Adam Montgomery (calf) remain on the sidelines.

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Motherwell goalkeeper Calum Ward will continue to ignore the "outside noise" as he strives to keep repaying the faith of manager Jens Berthel Askou.

Ward was criticised after costly errors earlier in the season, but Askou stuck by him and has been rewarded with three consecutive clean sheets.

Motherwell have only conceded two goals in their past six Premiership games and sit third ahead of Saturday's visit of Livingston.

Ward said: "It feels good to get the confidence of the manager and his backing. He did that at the start which was nice to hear but I obviously back my own ability and currently it's been going well for myself and the team obviously.

"I just keep my head down and keep focused and ignore the outside noise of what gets said, because to us it really means nothing.

"All that matters to me is what the manager and the goalkeeper coach and the rest of the staff say. So that's what I've got to focus on and just ignore everything else.

"It feels good to get three (clean sheets) in a row. It's what we strive for as goalkeepers and defenders so it's pretty good.

"I felt pretty confident going into the season but obviously as the games go on you feel you get more confident and obviously with the results we've had the last few weeks it always helps."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Two goalless draws have slowed Motherwell's momentum just when it looked like Jens Berthel Askou's side were getting the wins to accompany the lavish praise they have been receiving for their style of play under their new manager.

Nevertheless, they remain third top of the table and they will be hoping Tawanda Maswanhise, in particular, can end that barren spell before the Zimbabwe forward heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 23-year-old, who joined Well from Leicester City last year, has scored eight Premiership goals this season - 36% of his side's overall 22, contributing the highest ratio of any player for any club in the division.

Together with his one assist, that is level with Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland and two more goal involvements than Daizen Maeda, whose 17 goals and nine assists in 2025 is the most in a calendar year by a Celtic player since Leigh Griffiths (25/5) in 2016.

Indeed, Motherwell have only lost one of the nine games this season during which Maswanhise has scored.

He did not score in October's 2-1 win away to Saturday's visitors, Livingston, but he found the net in all three of their wins in the seven games since.

Maswanhise will see the visit of the Premiership's bottom side as a great chance to add to his 12 goals overall this season considering Well have won four in a row against David Martindale's side with an aggregate score of 12-4.

Indeed, while Well have gone five games unbeaten, Livingston are 13 without a win and have not won in 16 visits to Fir Park, losing the latest six.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

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• Tawanda Maswanhise has scored 36% of Motherwell's Scottish Premiership goals this season (8/22), the highest ratio of any player for any club in the competition this term.

• Motherwell have won their past four league meetings with Livingston and could win five in a row against them in the top flight for the first time.

• Livingston are winless in 16 top-flight away games at Motherwell (D3 L13) since a 5-1 victory in October 2002. They have lost on each of their past six league visits to Fir Park.

• Motherwell have only lost one of their past 12 home league games (W6 D5), keeping a clean sheet in three in a row since going down 2-1 to Falkirk in October. The Steelmen last kept a clean sheet in four consecutive home league games in September 1998.

• Livingston are winless in 12 league games (D4 L8) since a 3-1 victory over Falkirk in August. The Lions have lost their past two, but haven't lost three successive Premiership matches since January 2024 – a run which included a 3-1 away loss to Motherwell.

Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

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Stephen O'Donnell believes every Scottish player should be trying to give national manager Steve Clarke "a headache" in the run-up to the World Cup.

The men's team will take part in next summer's finals after a 28-year absence.

"It'll give every single player that's Scottish - even the ones that maybe aren't Scottish but have Scottish somewhere - a possibility to be in the squad," said O'Donnell, who won 26 caps between 2018 and 2022.

"Steve Clarke's never shut anyone down in a squad.

"Every player that's at their club, as their manager should be doing, is keeping their mouth shut, encouraging them and hoping they go and perform well and give the Scotland manager a headache. I think that's what we all should be trying to do."

The draw for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States takes place in Washington DC on Friday.

"I would love us to have a group that either gets the imagination, the spirit, the colour of the World Cup," said O'Donnell.

"Or I want the three worst teams possible and a right good chance of getting out it with six points or something like that.

"I'm excited to watch it, be part of it, whatever role, if any, I'm in. Player? Who knows."

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Assistant manager Max Rogers says the goalless draw with Falkirk provided a "learning tool" for adapting Motherwell's gameplan.

The Fir Park team remain third in the table after extending their uneaten Premiership run to seven games.

Rogers insists there were "lots of positives to take" into their fixture against Livingston on Saturday.

"It's another clean sheet and another point," he said.

"There's still lots of positives to take. Give credit to Falkirk, they also defended well, pressed us slightly differently than what they have done previously.

"We can use that as a learning tool as well going forward. If teams try and do a similar thing to shut us down and there's not a different free player for us to find, then we've got the solution for that now. So I think that's a positive.

"There's obviously a lot of experienced managers in the division and they'll want to try and stop us playing our game.

"Teams will adapt a little bit more and find new solutions to stopping us playing. So we need to obviously be switched on to that and still prepare, but be ready to react during the game. I think we did that really well.

"You saw it at the start of the second half, we got Tom Sparrow in some really good positions and got some good deliveries into the box. Maybe on a grass pitch the ball would have rolled better for us."