Celtic's high press exposed Motherwell, and it was obvious why the goals arrived when they did. When a team struggles to play out under pressure, individual errors come naturally. You can sympathise with the players, but you also expect a manager to spot it and change things before the damage piles up.
Why the press worked
To be fair, pressing well will always look neat on the day. It compresses space, forces hurried passes and creates those moments where a misplaced pass becomes a chance. Motherwell simply couldn't find a comfortable way out when Celtic came at them high and hard. If you can't play through it, you invite turnovers and chaos in dangerous areas. That's football at its bluntest.
Could Askou have done more?
It's a fair question. If the press was that obvious, a quicker tactical tweak would have helped — play long to relieve the pressure, change the angles, use the width differently. Maybe the squad lacks the personnel who are comfortable playing that sort of exit-pass football under intense pressure, and that becomes a tactical mismatch rather than a failure of effort. Either way, you expect the boss to recognise it and offer a simpler plan to blunt the press.
End product matters
Motherwell had patches where they looked alright, but ultimately it came down to chances and end product. The post-match headlines people mention — just three shots on target, a sending off and Celtic hitting the woodwork twice — tell their own story. Pretty football is lovely to watch, but results win titles. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing more balance: keep the shape, stop the errors, and try to make those moments count.
Amazing how two people can watch the same 90 minutes and come away with different reads, but the basic point stands: when a press ties you up, you need a plan B.
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