Alfred Johansson On Debut Win As Motherwell Manager, The Transfer Market And Settling In At Fir Park

Alfred Johansson On Debut Win As Motherwell Manager, The Transfer Market And Settling In At Fir Park By Callum McFadden at Fir Park. New Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson admitted he was delighted with both the result and performance after making a winning start to his reign at Fir Park, with a 2-0 victory over HB Tórshavn in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie. Goals from debutant Martin Moormann and Lucas Fadinger handed the Steelmen a deserved advantage ahead of next week’s trip to the Faroe Islands, but Johansson believes the display was made even more impressive by the circumstances surrounding it. Motherwell handed competitive debuts to eight players, including six starters, while three academy graduates also featured for the first time. The club were also without several senior players through injury, forcing others to play more minutes than initially planned. “I think it was a decent performance from us today,” Johansson said. “I think we, given the context, did many things really, really well. So, yeah, pleased.” The Motherwell boss was particularly satisfied with the quality of his side’s two goals, joking that Moormann’s thunderous opener was one of the reasons the defender was brought to Fir Park. “Really nice goals,” Johansson said with a smile. “Everyone thought that we were scouting Martin for his build-up and defensive skills, but we actually saw that he has good shooting from distance.” While pleased to take a two-goal lead into the second leg, Johansson felt his side had done enough to score again. “I think definitely we deserved to score another goal today based on the chances that we created. But I don’t want to say that I’m disappointed with that.” The Swedish coach repeatedly stressed the importance of considering the context of Motherwell’s performance, highlighting the number of new faces and the physical limitations within his squad. “Given the context of eight players making their debut for Motherwell today, six in the starting 11, two coming off the bench, three academy graduates making their debut today, and some players that the sports science department wanted them to play zero minutes today and they did 60, when you put that context, I can’t be disappointed with anything today.” Johansson also revealed just how new his squad is by sharing an amusing story from the training ground. “We had a moment in training where I was coaching one player to make a pass to another player and he’s like, ‘Who is that?’” “I think it’s actually quite impressive to be able to look that much of a collective.” Despite taking control of the tie, Johansson insists Motherwell’s work is only halfway done and warned against underestimating their Faroese opponents. “It’s half-time and you win zero games at half-time. You win after the two legs.” “It’s going to be very difficult in the Faroe Islands. This is a team that has a European pedigree. It’s not long ago that they played in a group stage in Europe. It’s a regular basis for them to play these qualification games.” “We need to go there with confidence because we’ve been preparing really, really well and I think we looked decent today. But we need to make sure we understand it’s going to be a completely different kind of game.” Johansson also provided an update on Motherwell’s transfer activity, revealing the club is close to strengthening the squad while acknowledging the challenges of the summer window. “We’re pretty close to do a thing or two,” he said. “It’s going to be a long window. We want to get business done as quickly as possible, but we don’t control the market, so we have to do as best as we can to get the right people in the door.” He is hopeful several injured players could return before next week’s second leg, although he was unable to offer any guarantees. “I would hope so, yes. We’ll have to assess the situation in the coming week.” Finally, Johansson reflected on his first competitive experience at Fir Park, paying tribute to the backing from the Motherwell support after almost 8,000 fans turned out on a Thursday evening. “Fantastic,” he said. “I think that shows how the buzz and the vibe is around the place at the moment, and how much the fans and everyone around the club enjoy what the club is doing at the moment.” Johansson also praised the work taking place throughout the football club since his arrival. “I think it’s no coincidence. I think it’s good work that has been done by many people and I think that shows how proud everyone around the club is with that.” Having enjoyed a winning start on the European stage, Johansson now hopes to build on that momentum as Motherwell look to finish the job in the Faroe Islands and continue their encouraging start under their new manager.