Manuel Pascali had to convince new team mate Borja Perez that Killie played a passing game. Perez signed a one-year contract ahead of Saturday's SPL game against Motherwell at Rugby Park after leaving Spanish football for the first time and was taken aback when told his team would not be playing like a typical Scottish side. Mixu Paatelainen started off the expansive style played by the Rugby Park side two seasons ago and successor Kenny Shiels confounded expectations last season by winning the Scottish Communities League Cup after he was forced to rebuild the team. Pascali said: "I remember when Borja played in James Fowler's testimonial. He was asking me how we were going to play. He was surprised when I said to him: 'We are going to try to play football here'. He is a number 10 so I said: 'We are going to try to find you as much as we can.' He was surprised and said: 'So you don't play direct like the Scottish way?' There are a few clubs who are trying to play because it's very enjoyable from the players' point of view. This philosophy took us into fifth position two years ago with Mixu and to the cup win last season. We will try to do it again. It's going to be hard because now all teams know that we will try to do it so they will try to press very high and hard but that's a new challenge for us."The Italian defender admits such preconceptions of Scottish football are commonplace. He went on: "It's a common way to think that British football is more direct. It's true sometimes, you want to score as soon as possible, but in the recent past teams like St Mirren, us or Dundee United, Celtic and Rangers, try to play football and it's very enjoyable from a player's point of view. You are not just chasing the ball everywhere." Motherwell are another team who have succeeded with a possession game, finishing third last season. Their three games against Killie last season produced just two goals, both for the Ayrshire side in a Rugby Park win in March. But Pascali said: "Motherwell are a very, very dangerous team because offensively they are one of the best teams in the league. They have got everything, physical presence, they are quick. But last season we managed to keep three clean sheets against them and we will try to do the same, but we know it's going to be hard."
Source: FOOTYMAD
