At the start of the season, it would have seemed almost preposterous to suggest it. Motherwell are in the mix to challenge for the Scottish Premiership title.
Whether manager Jens Berthel Askou wishes to acknowledge it or not, some things are undeniable for the team now within a point of third-placed Celtic in the league.
Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Dundee United marked their fourth clean sheet in a row as they moved a point behind the defending champions.
In attack, they have the league’s top scorer in Tawanda Maswanhise, and in Elijah Just arguably one of the country’s top performers this term.
However, their success is built around their defence.
They’ve conceded just 18 goals in 28 league games, fewer than any other team in the division and one of the best defensive records in Europe.
Only Italian side Roma (16), Portuguese outfits Porto (8), Sporting (12) and Benfica (13) and Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise (15) have conceded fewer goals across the continent’s top leagues.
Italians Como, defending Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain, Premier League leaders Arsenal, Bundesliga title holders Bayern Munich and Spain’s Real Madrid have all conceded more league goals than Askou’s side this season.
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