Danny Rohl got a few things wrong against Motherwell, and the midfield shape was the obvious culprit. We let them have too much time in the middle and never really imposed a press early on. To be fair, I rate Danny, but this one left us vulnerable where matches are most often decided.
Where it went wrong
Motherwell are comfortable in midfield and if you give them space they’ll take the initiative. The issue for me was territory — we retreated too deep and ceded the centre of the park. Raskin and Chuckwuani ended up playing in the channel between our centre-halves and the opposition, so they couldn't pressure or influence play higher up. That allowed Motherwell time on the ball and the freedom to put passes into their forward players. When the midfield isn't contested, the rest of the team gets stretched chasing shadows.
How I’d have set things up
Simple adjustments, nothing revolutionary. Raskin is better when he starts higher, closer to the front line where he can harry and nick possession. Push him up to start the press and force the opponent to play longer or risk mistakes. Let Barron sit a bit deeper as the dedicated defensive presence alongside Dio or Chuckwuani depending on the balance we want. That gives us a clearer screen in front of the defence while still allowing someone dynamic to press from the front.
Small tweaks, big difference
It’s easy to nitpick after the game, but positional nuance matters. A higher Raskin would have narrowed pockets of space, the press would have begun further up the pitch, and Barron could’ve focused on breaking up play rather than covering wide gaps. You can see why managers tinker with midfield roles; it changes tempo and transitions. Not saying it would have fixed everything, but those tweaks might have stopped Motherwell getting comfortable in the middle.
At the end of the day I’m still backing Danny, but this was a selection and shape decision that didn’t work out. Worth debating on the forums — and in the dressing room — for sure.
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