Celtic Park, away dressing room: Saturday, 3:52pm

Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou is standing in front of the projector, presenting bird’s-eye view footage from the first half on how to press Celtic’s left side better and where the spaces are to create overloads.

There is a tinge of disappointment that they are drawing 1-1 and not still leading the 55-time Scottish champions. Frustration, too, that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still on the pitch after avoiding a red card.

Despite that, playmaker Elliot Watt is prowling the changing room, reminding his team-mates to keep being brave on the ball. “We’ve got a right good chance here. Enthusiasm,” adds defender Stephen O’Donnell.

Motherwell had seen 58 per cent of the ball in the first half, and the same expected goals (xG) and number of shots as Celtic. They had managed 14 touches inside the opposition penalty area compared to Celtic’s eight, and completed 285 passes to the home side’s 191.

These are not normal numbers for Celtic in a domestic home game. Certainly not when they are five points behind Hearts in the title race.

But it has become normal this season where Motherwell are concerned. Their dominant brand of football has been one of the most entertaining to watch in Europe since their Danish head coach arrived last summer.

For context, out of all the teams in the Scottish Premiership, English Championship and the top five leagues in Europe, Motherwell have the fourth-most possession regains of any team. They also have the 11th highest possession share, and only Elche’s goalkeeper makes more passes per 90 than Motherwell’s Calum Ward (40.3).

The risk and reward of such a bold style were on full display as they played keep-ball, only to concede the equaliser from overplaying in their own box.

“There is only one reason for the crowd to be on their side, and it is that they scored a goal. They were all over them until they got a moment of luck,” says Askou.

“It doesn’t matter, keep going because we will create chances out there in the second half. We have so much control of this game now. Don’t be intimidated by the crowd trying to help them get back in the game. Be brave and run some long attacks out there, as they will hate it.

“We are the ones who decide if we lose control or not.”

They proved to be fatal last words.

Fir Park, Tuesday, 9:30am

They hail from Scotland, England, Wales, Austria, Nigeria, Australia, Zimbabwe, Grenada, New Zealand and Norway. Some of them have just entered their peak and some are approaching their twilight years, yet the breakfast table hears identical stories about how Askou has made them feel.

“Free.”

Paul McGinn, 35, and O’Donnell, 33, are two proven defenders in Scotland. They were widely viewed as tough and dependable, but perhaps a little limited. This season, however, they have been instrumental in playing some of the most aesthetically pleasing patterns in Europe.

Askou believes there are thousands of players across the globe with untapped potential, inhibited by a reductive environment or lost in a vague system. He was in a similar boat as a player, who spent most of his career in his homeland, bar a spell in Turkey and a couple of years at Norwich City and Millwall between 2009 and 2011. He had the ability to be a ball-playing centre-back, but never found a coach who gave him that opportunity.

“People don’t like their weaknesses to be exposed. There is a lot of blame culture. I have seen it in many places, and it just takes over.

“I have decided to really fight against it. Traditionally, it has been a way to lead but modern management is way beyond that. It is my most important job to keep the fear and anxiety away from our workshop. If I bring it every day, there is no chance.”

Jens Berthel Askou has a progressive philosophy, as Scotland is finding out (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)

It is still so alien to what many of these players have known. Luring players towards them in their own penalty area. Playing bounce passes back to their goalkeeper. Are they not, pardon the language, absolutely s***ting themselves?

“No, because most of the time you still had the ball in those same positions with someone pressing. You just had no options and no idea what you were expected to do, so you end up launching it,” says O’Donnell.

Like so many others, he feels liberated by this exposure to a different way of seeing the game. Ex-Rangers and Hearts midfielder Andy Halliday, who has already started his coaching journey, says the level of clarity is unlike anything he has ever seen before.

“He adds layer after layer to the idea every week,” says Halliday.

“His detail and the clarity are the difference. We’ve all worked with coaches who talk about possession but as soon as the other team go man-to-man, we are told to go long. Some managers want to play it but don’t have the temperament for this style. They say the same things but after a mistake go mad.”

The consistency of the message is key. Each day starts with a tactical presentation at 10am before training, which usually includes some unopposed build-up play to work on patterns, sided games and 11v11 to implement the match-specific details.

The half-pitch games are designed to intensify speed of thought under pressure and promote rapid counter-pressing. In the first few weeks, he brought the pitch in at both sides to make it even tougher. 

“You should have seen it in the first few weeks. It was just constant turnovers,” laughs McGinn, who has never won at Celtic Park in 13 visits with five different clubs.

“I used to go there thinking damage limitation, now I am thinking we are here to go for it.”

The Motherwell players are enjoying training under Askou (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)

There were inevitably teething problems and the players had to buy into the idea. In their first game, they drew with League Two side Clyde in the League Cup (advancing on penalties) and in the second game found themselves trailing League One Peterhead.

They spoke at half-time about the need to stick to the idea, and they found a stoppage-time winner to ensure they made it through the competition’s group stage.

Five draws from the opening five games in the league left question marks from the outside, but the players felt it was clicking.

Askou has over 160 videos of his vision working and another showreel of things he wants to improve and flaws he wants to overcome.

Both help sharpen his football ‘bible’, a work in progress that has over 300 slides breaking down every part of how his game model operates. There are animations showing how he presses against every formation, how the structure changes depending on the game state, how to attack against 10 men, and how to defend against goal kicks.

It is exhaustive and still has another 100 pages to go. The aim upon completion is to turn it into a help book in the dugout that he can turn to and show the players.

“It is why you cannot teach this sort of football in two or three weeks. But in six months? Yes, you can.

“We are in a world that is getting less patient with development and progress. People want to win now and there is nothing in between.”

Motherwell play an asymmetric 4-2-2-2 tilted towards the right flank, and Askou terms his style of play as ‘dynamic positioning’. It is based on short passing, sucking the opposition onto them and finding overloads through constant rotation and forward runs.

Could this work in Scotland? Ange Postecoglou instilled his principles successfully at Celtic, but what about at a club that had finished in the bottom half and had little-to-no-money for transfer fees? Expansive football in a hegemonic league where knockdowns and second balls are still such a core part of the story?

He has a novel solution for that. Simply do not contest the first one. As a former centre-back, he urges his defenders to be aggressive at the back of the striker and usher them under the ball so that the ball bounces behind, their partner can sweep up and the team regains possession in a controlled manner.

Opposition teams are now backing off like they are playing one of the Old Firm. But Motherwell also have the meanest defence in the league, conceding just 20 goals in 29 games. It is that delicate balance that has won Askou admirers.

Askou’s methodical methods have started to bear fruit at Motherwell (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Goalkeeper Ward, who came through the ranks at Bournemouth, is the man charged with orchestrating much of it. He made a few major errors in his first few months, costing his side goals against Hearts, Kilmarnock and last time out at Celtic Park in a game they were ahead in at the time. It was the sort of error that could permanently dent confidence. Instead, it was a unifying moment.

The next day, Askou held a team meeting and went over the goal. Rather than criticise Ward, he combed over, in the most minute detail, how the passing choices of his team-mates and the lack of angles they had made for him had created a stressful situation.

“It’s not like it’s flawless. We give it away all the time in training,” says Askou.

“Half the goals are from transitions when we lose the ball in our own area. But you don’t see the staff going mental, unless they are being sloppy. You need to be able to see the difference, as one mistake often leads to another and then another.

“Football is a game full of mistakes — ball losses, defensive errors — so I set them up to accept that but prepare them to repair, try again and lower their shoulders a little bit. You have to be able to reset your emotional system — or stay in that fear and frustration, or it hurts your ego too much. ‘Why am I forced to do this? It doesn’t make me look good.’

“Well, I’ll take the blame for that. Leave your ego, and trust the journey because eventually it will make you look a lot better than if I taught you just to smash it up the pitch.”

It has been quite the journey for Askou and his brand. Tell people in Denmark about his reputation as a bold innovator and they will look surprised. It was the same reaction New Zealand midfielder Elijah Just had when Askou asked him to reunite, having worked with him at Horsens in 2022.

“It was completely different,” he says.

“It was a back five and we didn’t play much with the ball. I didn’t even play much at all, really, as we were trying to stay up. So the message was all about avoiding errors and fighting for our lives. Now it is about taking risks and believing in ourselves.”

Was it a spiritual awakening?

Not quite. Askou was 35 when he got his first job at Vendsyssel FF, who had just been promoted to the top division in Denmark but were by far the smallest club. He started a more progressive approach at Faroese club HB Torshavn before firefighting again at Horsens. At Goteborg he established the foundations, while his stints as an assistant at Sparta Prague and Copenhagen provided new learning curves.

“It is more joyful to coach and more exciting to watch, but I haven’t come to be a missionary or an exhibitionist. The focus is to win,” says Askou.

On January 20, Askou gathered his players for a different type of presentation than usual. It began with a map and a pinhead placed just above the Arctic Circle. He wanted to talk about the Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Next came a year-by-year breakdown of their achievements versus what the critics had predicted. The naysayers had scoffed at their bold play when they were relegated in 2016 and dismissed their ambitions when they finished runners-up in their first season back in the Eliteserien. Since then, they have won four of the six league titles.

With Bodo a middling club punching above their weight in a unique style that upset the established order, Askou asked his players to use this commitment to their idea as an inspiration.

But he also requested that they all watch them play Manchester City and outlined exactly why he believed they would win. Kjetil Knutsen’s side triumphed 3-1 and now have a foot in the Champions League quarter-final after beating Sporting CP 3-0 last week.

“At that point, I thought this guy is a robot, he can predict the future now too,” says defender Liam Gordon.

Askou wants his Motherwell side to emulate the success of Bodo/Glimt (Martin Ole Wold/Getty Images)

The mystic skills had been shown a couple of months earlier when he laid out the plan to beat Hibernian in late November, but the players had doubts. After collecting 10 points from the last twelve, Motherwell were gathering pace. The dressing room was puzzled as to why the manager was now proposing a change of shape for this one game.

He switched to a back five and ordered the two strikers to split wide and leave Grant Hanley on the ball, then press. Within 34 minutes, Motherwell were 2-0 up and Hanley had been sent off.

The only other game Askou has seen fit to deviate from his usual shape was in the 2-0 home win over Celtic in December. He played without a striker or any wingers, using three No 10s to spring a surprise.

On Tuesday, he arrived with a sneakier tactic he hoped could be a difference maker at Celtic Park: the ‘fake offside’.

The plan is for top-scorer Tawanda Maswanhise to make a deliberate offside run as soon as Motherwell turn with the ball on the right flank. The logic is that Celtic will instinctively push up, thinking the danger is over and, as they let their guard down, Just would time a late run in behind against their forward momentum.

Head of performance Ciaran King is brought in to discuss the idea and is shown the animation Askou has created. He asks him to look for real-life examples to show the players how it works and within an hour, he and fellow analyst Greg Spires dig out footage of Harry Kane scoring from a similar tactic for Bayern Munich against Barcelona and, helpfully, Feyenoord scoring against Celtic earlier this season.

They have a specific detail they are focusing on out of possession, too, which is how to defend against the inverted full-back. Follow and drop into a back five or ignore and stay high to push up on the far-side centre-back.

He decides the only way he knows how: war-gaming.

It is Askou and his assistant Max Rogers’ favourite pastime. They are standing over the fold-up tactics board. Taking it in turns to move 3D magnetic pinheads, one counter-move is met by another, each asking the other who covers who if X, Y or Z happens.

It is the second time they have been here on Thursday morning. Rogers floated the idea of defending without striker Maswanhise, so they keep Celtic’s centre-backs deep, and they discussed the space to exploit.

It is informing their training content for the rest of the week, but while writing the rules of one possession drill, Rogers raises a question. “Do they still aim to keep the ball for 10 seconds when they win it?”

Over 30 seconds pass by without a sound as Askou weighs up his reply. “What do we get from that?” he asks, which sees them return to Subutteo-meets-battleship.

“It’s important we encourage them to play out of this counter-pressing, as when we do, that’s a f**king motorway,” Askou declares.

Askou and his team prepare tactically for the game with Celtic (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)

Askou is very visual and cannot rest until he has played out every eventuality on the board. He wants his theories tested by those around him. During a three-match week last month, he even asked all seven backroom staff members to pick their starting XI for each game and run through the reasons why.

It is a sign of his collaborative outlook, given he arrived in the insular world of Scottish football as a solo figure. The only staff member he has since added is sports scientist Kirk Phillips, with whom he spent six months at Sparta Prague.

“It sent a strong signal that I am willing to trust new people I don’t know and that, as a manager from another country, I’m not cleaning out the entire office. I want them to be part of creating the environment,” says Askou.

Rogers’ influence is seen as important by the players in bringing out the humorous side in Askou, balancing his intensity. He is the resident Photoshop guru who has a notice board plastered with mock-up film posters poking fun at the other staff.

Askou has kept faith with most of the backroom staff he inherited (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)

Friday is a lighter day before the game and finishes with set-piece practice with ex-Spurs graduate Jon Obika — “the nicest man in football”, it is said — in charge of attacking and Rogers overseeing the defensive element.

“You can tell the culture of a club just from the rondos. Just watch for three or four minutes and see how they react to a mistake,” says Askou. 

No lambasting, no complaints, no sighs. It is hard for there to be when Ibrahim Said’s laugh pierces each interception. The 23-year-old Nigerian winger is excitable and sees positivity everywhere. It is that lovable persona which has enabled him to get away with wearing Darth Vader and Stormtrooper socks since the pre-season friendly against Hertha Berlin.

On the morning of Askou’s first trip to Celtic Park in October, he woke to the remnants of his new car scattered on the road after someone had crashed into it overnight. He hopes for more luck this time.

Celtic Park, Saturday, 2:55pm

“I don’t need a big f***ing Braveheart monologue to instil some courage that you didn’t know you had,” says Askou, as he prepares to send his players out to dominate at a stadium they have only ever won five times in the last 60 years.

“We all know that we are more than capable of coming here and outperforming this team. All you need to do is be who you are and do what you do. You don’t need to invent anything, you don’t need to dig deep or find something you haven’t found before. Just go out and give yourself and each other the opportunity.

“We’ve learned our lessons and improved our skill set along the way. Today we’re not first-year students anymore. Today is a celebration of how far we have come. So I want you to go out and enjoy it. Go out and have a party out there. Are you ready, boys?”

‘Grab the moment’ Askou prepares his team to face Celtic on Saturday (Jordan Campbell/The Athletic)

Motherwell went out with a protagonist mentality and, midway through the first half, took control. Celtic were beginning to back off and the home crowd were becoming restless at how often their side was being dispossessed.

As warned at half-time, though, Celtic came flying out of the blocks after the break. Motherwell survived a few scares and the game started to stretch, but Motherwell were starting to find the spare man again, until one moment changed the game.

From a looping corner, left-back Emmanuel Longelo was judged to have been holding Daizen Maeda at the back post. VAR intervened and referee John Beaton showed a red card before Tomas Cvancara converted the penalty to give Celtic the lead.

Five minutes later, Yang Hyun-Jun scored to kill the contest as Motherwell deployed the no-contest tactic they had practised all season. This time, however, they never swept up behind.

Motherwell continued to play with the same principles, even with 10 men, and returned to the team bus disappointed, but proud that they had stuck to their identity.

“A few of them come up to me and said how good the football is we play,” says O’Donnell.

“I spent a good part of the first half virtually in the Celtic half. I was thinking: this has never happened before.”

The defeat is fatal to Motherwell’s unlikely bid to become champions of Scotland. But with four of their final eight games against leaders Hearts, Celtic and Rangers, they are likely to play kingmaker in what has been one of the most dramatic seasons in the league’s history.