MOTHERWELL manager Graham Alexander was forced to rejig his starting XI an hour before yesterday’s game because of illness but it was not the entire reason as to why the Fir Park side were left sickened.
Celtic were relentless as they hit Motherwell for six with Alexander appreciating that improvements need to be made ahead of next season.
"We had to change the team 55 minutes before coming here because of illness,” he explained. “But we came up against a fantastic team on a massive high. They are a quality.
"We need to look at the season as a whole as we have done some fantastic things getting into Europe.
"We can't just focus on European football. We need to strengthen and remember the league programme as well. You will see the other big clubs at this level improving a lot.
"They will spend a lot of money so we need to work exceptionally hard to improve what we have if we want to stay as competitive as we have been this season.
"We have quite a lot of contracted players, lads for the future, lads for now. But we have to improve.
"There are certain things in our results that we have to get better at. We have done a lot of good things this season but we have always been aware
of where we need to be better. So if we can improve certain aspects of our squad and our team then we have to do that. I feel we have a nucleus of a good squad."
Motherwell have conceded 62 goals this season despite their fifth place finish. Only bottom placed Dundee with 63 conceded more.
"Our defensive record is not good enough,” he said. “Plain and simple.
"We have scored a lot of goals this season but we have to look at the structure, how we set up, a lot of things, but the goals against, if you look over the course of the season, have hurt us a little but so we have to look at that."
