Celtic midfielder Liam Shaw delivered an “excellent” first start for Motherwell, as rated by his new boss Graham Alexander.
The talented youngster is at Fir Park until the end of the season in a short-term loan deal. And after settling into his new surroundings, he made his first appearance from the starting XI in a difficult match against the Jambos.
Hearts managed to bounce back from their midweek loss to Celtic as they secured a big 2-0 win. However, Shaw was given the highest rating out of all of his teammates by stat experts WhoScored. He was deemed to have given a 6.8/10 performance on the night as his hard graft was clearly on show.
And Alexander assessed his new signings as Shaw joined Ross Tierney in making his ‘Well debut. As quoted by the Daily Record, the Motherwell boss said: “Ross is a good player. I thought him and Liam Shaw, both making their full debuts, were both excellent for us. Callum Slattery came in as well and was excellent.
“I am really pleased with him [Tierney], and Liam. I thought they were both good but the result is still lingering.”
Shaw is looking to make a big impression over the next few months, with Ange Postecoglou wanting him back to fight for a spot in his team come pre-season [Daily Record].
Liam Shaw shows battling qualities at Tynecastle; big impact needed in the coming months
The Celtic supporters will want to be hearing a lot more about Shaw and his Motherwell performances between now and the end of the season. It’s clear that he won’t be walking into the Steelmen’s starting XI either. Therefore, it’s imperative that he very quickly wins a consistent place given the short nature of the loan spell.
It was clear that Shaw was particularly tidy with his use of the ball against the Jambos on Saturday. He had the most touches of any other Motherwell player on the pitch with 81. He also sprayed the most passes around with 52 and a decent enough 80.8% succession rate [WhoScored].
However, the most impressive stats came in his ball-winning. Shaw managed to make 11 successful challenges against the Jambos. Extremely eye-catching considering the aggressive nature in which Hearts play.
It’s clear that he showed good care of the ball at one of Scottish football’s most intimidating venues. Not to mention he got stuck in himself and managed to win the ball back for his team regularly throughout the match. That’s hugely impressive.
You can see why this performance has been highlighted by Alexander in particular. It’s just a start, and at the end of the day it ended in defeat, but Shaw is clearly ready to show his best side at Fir Park. And that display alone will go a long way to him winning a regular place in the starting XI.
Next up for Liam and Motherwell is a trip to St Mirren in the Premiership tomorrow night.
In other news, Pundit brilliantly says “frightening” Celtic will beat Rangers despite “missing half a team”
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