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Graham Alexander impressed by 'typical' St Johnstone performance in Europe

Graham Alexander impressed by 'typical' St Johnstone performance in Europe
© Reuters
Motherwell pay a visit to McDiarmid Park in the cinch Premiership on Sunday.

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander described St Johnstone's Istanbul heroics as a "typical performance" from the Perth side.

The double cup winners continued their extraordinary 2021 by holding Galatasaray to a 1-1 draw in their first leg of their Europa League clash on Thursday.

Alexander's Motherwell team were on the end of a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Fir Park when they last faced the Perth side.

So he knows they are in for a tough test when they travel to McDiarmid Park on Sunday to take on a Saints side managed by his former Scotland and Preston team-mate and close friend, Callum Davidson.

On Thursday's European tie, Alexander said: "I watched the majority of it and I think St Johnstone put in a typical St Johnstone performance.

"They are extremely hard to break down, they carried their threats at important times. It was a fantastic result for them.

"St Johnstone have proved over the last 12 months what a good team they are so we will be expecting a tough game, as we always do. We are in the Premiership, there are no easy games. But we expect to give them a tough game as well."

Alexander is happy for his players to aspire to similar European nights but he is just keen that they get their cinch Premiership campaign up and running after a narrow opening defeat against Hibernian.

"That sort of platform that St Johnstone were playing on is amazing," he said.

"Galatasaray are a massive club in European football, great history, and you are going toe to toe away from home.

"It's the whole build-up to those games, the different experiences you get from those type of games, the players that played in that will be enriched by that experience.

"But you have to earn that experience by doing a lot of good things over the course of a year to qualify.

"We have seen Scottish clubs compete really well in the early stages of Europe, certainly this week, and it's encouraging for Scottish football.

"We want to be part of that scene but you have to earn it over a course of a season. It's early days for that but the club has a history, it started in Europe this time last season.

"So it's certainly something that's achievable but it's not on our radar right now. It's winning on Sunday that's our focus."

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Graham Alexander, now in charge of Motherwell, pictured in September 2020
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
CCeltic550095306593
2RangersRangers531187325585
3Hearts513154421268
4Kilmarnock51224644256
5St Mirren51134652-647
6Dundee50144968-1942
Relegation Group
1Aberdeen54104852-448
2Hibernian52125259-746
3Motherwell52035659-343
4St Johnstone51132954-2535
5Ross County51223867-2935
RLivingston52122970-4125
 
First Phase
CCeltic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
RLivingston3339212259-3718


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