Celtic v Motherwell: Graham Alexander apparently watched a different match

By Euan Davidson

February 6, 2021

Celtic beat Motherwell 2-1 today, and in truth, it should’ve been a bigger scoreline.

The Bhoys piled on the pressure for 60 solid minutes, boasting 66% possession and creating 22 chances [BBC]. It was by no means a complete performance, though. A Scott Bain error allowed Allan Campbell to gain momentum for the Steelmen, who fought valiantly late on.

Then, a Diego Laxalt clearance saved Celtic from dropping another two points. It would’ve been a ridiculous outcome, considering the flow of the game.

In his post-match press conference, new Well boss Graham Alexander made some bold claims. Granted, he’s allowed a little poetic licence, but what he said will baffle most who watched this game.

According to the Daily Record, Alexander said:

“Obviously the goal at the start of the second half gave them a cushion but I thought we grew into the game and showed more confidence on the ball. We trusted each other with it.

“Once we got the goal back, I thought we had Celtic on the rack. We had them putting clearances out the park, slashing at stuff and clearing balls off the line.

“We went for it, so credit to the players. I thought they were exceptional because we know what a tough task it is coming here.

“But they stuck to the game plan and we were a couple of millimetres short of getting a valuable point.”

Strong opinions: Well boss Graham Alexander / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic v Motherwell: Graham Alexander takes poetic licence with comments

After the Celtic v Motherwell clash, Alexander continued:

“I don’t think anyone would have begrudged us an equaliser because we worked exceptionally hard for it.”

I’ll stop you there, Mr Alexander. I can think of a few people who might’ve begrudged Motherwell an equaliser in this match.

Yes, Celtic were definitely sloppy in the last 20, as the intense pressing display led to tiredness and meandering phrases of play. Still, though: most goalkeepers would probably have dealt with Campbell’s shot, and while the Well came positively into the last portion of the game, it was always Celtic’s to lose.

Alexander’s side barely got a sniff of the ball for large swathes of this match. While it’s great to see a young Scottish manager doing well and being confident in what they say, this is quite a stretch.

As for Celtic, a trip to Paisley to face another upstart young manager awaits in midweek.

Read more: this Scottish youngster won plaudits from his manager, as he impressed again.