Paul McGinn compares Motherwell to Aston Villa amid Jens Berthel Askou revolution
The 'Well skipper is hoping it all comes together at Hampden against St Mirren.
Paul McGinn reckons Motherwell play similar football to Aston Villa.
But he wants to make sure they end up as Premier Sports Cup heroes rather than villains this evening.
The Steelmen’s captain thinks that Jen Berthel Askou’s side’s passing style mirrors that of his brother’s side, John McGinn at Villa.
Askou has come in and has transformed the Fir Park side into a lean, mean passing machine, who love taking risks and playing out from the back.
The Motherwell captain thinks there are real similarities to the style that Unai Emery has employed at Villa, where his younger sibling, John McGinn, continues to shine.
McGinn said: “I really do enjoy it when it's in full flow.
"It's brilliant because you're controlling a game and you're getting to play high and keep teams hemmed in.
“I’m sure there's been many times when I'm having to chop people in the box and stuff, the fans haven't been best pleased with it, but no, I really like it.
“It’s very similar to Villa.
“I’ve watched a lot of Villa with John, and it's very similar.”
McGinn admitted it was something of a culture shock when Askou first introduced it. His side took risks at the back and gifted goals away to Clyde in their cup opener. They ended up drawing with the Bully Wee and had to scramble the bonus point on penalties. Fast forward a few months and they are in the top half of the Premiership and heading to Hampden with endless plaudits for their high-risk high reward approach.
“’It’s all about recruitment and I think we've recruited well,” the defender stated.
"Things all need to come together, it can't just be the style and I think the manager knows that.
“Obviously, he has identified specific types of players to come in and play it.
“They have all hit the ground up for that League Cup apart from where we stumbled at the start.”
The Buddies and the Steelmen would have been delighted to avoid Celtic and Rangers in the semi-finals.
They will both believe they have a genuine chance of getting into next month’s final.
McGinn said: “Yes, because normally at least one of them (Celtic or Rangers) is clear, miles ahead of the others and maybe this year it's not been quite the same, which is strange.
“They'd have been happy to get us and vice versa, but again, St Mirren, wherever you get them.
“You saw on Wednesday night how Hearts struggled against St Mirren.
“We know that we’ll need to be at the top of our game against St Mirren.”
The 35-year-old is still waiting to pick up the first major cup win of his career, winning two and losing three. He has a mixed bag and is hoping he can take it back to a 50/50 success rate.The big one for him came in the same competition when Hibs knocked out Rangers at the same stage back in 2021.
“My semi-final experiences are good and bad,” McGinn confirmed.
“I’lll start with the bad.
“We got beat by Hearts twice and we beat Dundee United.
“We beat Rangers, thanks to a Martin Boyle hat-trick, when I was at Hibs.
“Probably the Hibs one when we beat Rangers, just because we had, I think it was David Gray, interim manager at the time, and I think Rangers did as well.
“It was just weird.
“We'd always been so close against Rangers at that sort of spell and they'd always sort of nicked things and that was the first time we'd sort of beat them.
“Again, not that good, because we got beat in the final, so it meant little in the long run.”
Motherwell manager Askou has got his team prepared for every eventuality and has also had them on spot kick practice. McGinn admitted he would be more than happy to put his hand up for a penalty.
He claimed: “I've got a decent record and I just find it a wee bit different when you're doing it in a game, so it's nice to practice it.
“They tell me the gaffer's got a different opinion, but I think it's just totally different on a Saturday, so just whatever you feel like on the day.
“I would volunteer.
“I don't think I'll ever have a more nervous penalty than with St Mirren in the (Dundee) United play-offs, remember that?
“I mean, you've got people's jobs on the line, that's a slightly more of a threat.
“I’ve hit that one, so nothing will be as pressurised as that.”
Motherwell will give Stephen O’Donnell until the last minute to prove his fitness.