It’s something I’ve not experienced a lot of in my life, having been too young to really appreciate or understand the world cup in 1998, but there is a bit of optimism about the men’s Scotland national team at the moment. We have a proven and competent manager in Steve Clark, a decent looking group of players starting to establish themselves in the national side and two reasonable chances to qualify for the next Euro’s. It’s also reassuring to hear Clark talk about having people who want to play for Scotland and how he won’t be chasing down those who have retired from previous regimes – they must come to him if they want to be recalled.
Inspired by this wave of optimism, lets have a look at the players Steve Clark will build his team around in the upcoming games, who might break into his side over the next qualifying campaign and any positions where we might struggle.
Key Players
Andy Robertson – The story from Queens Park to a legitimately elite left back has been well told and its clear Robertson is Scotland’s best player by some distance. It might prove difficult to truly build a team around a left back however if Robertson can bring the same attacking intent and intensity from Liverpool to the national team, he can set the ultimate example to everyone in the camp. To get the best out of him Clark may need to have a right footer play on the left to drive inside and open up space for Robertson to maraud into.
Stuart Armstrong - A classy and elegant player, Armstrong is brilliant at picking the ball up on the half turn and slipping an early pass or running with the ball to put the opposition under immediate pressure. Callum McGregor and John McGinn are both good on the ball, but Armstrong is the strongest at drifting between the lines and finding space. Scotland don’t look like a team capable of dominating every game so Armstrong will be vital for providing an outball and launching counter attacks. Let’s just hope he’s learned his lesson on what to do with the ball in the final minute while defending a one goal lead.
James Forrest – Forrest had an unbelievable year with Celtic completing the “treble treble” and showing he can be considered as a reliable player with an end product scoring the winner against Rangers and a hat trick that dragged Scotland to victory over Israel. He’s always been quick and hardworking but has shown a notable improvement with his composure in the final third makes him key for Scotland, particularly on the counter.
Who could break through?
John Souttar – He seems to have been around for a long time and nearly has 200 senior games under his belt already but Souttar is only 22. He was always seen as talented but the move to Hearts has really helped his game, particularly playing alongside Christophe Berra. He has improved his positioning and looks so much more aggressive and decisive than his time in Dundee. He would provide a great balance with the left footed Scott McKenna at the heart of the defence which could easily become Scotland’s first choice back two for the next 10 years.
Oli McBurnie – McBurnie hasn’t really impressed during his few Scotland caps but the team was poor and played without confidence most of the time under McLeish. 22 goals in the English Championship this season is a great return and if you watch his tape you notice every single one of them came from inside the box. He’s improved in the air with the ability to find space in a crowded box and getting onto rebounds. He isn’t suited to a long ball game doing it all himself, but when you consider Scotland has pace and creativity in the midfield, McBurnie could thrive on being the guy expected to get in the box and score.
David Turnbull – Incredible breakthrough season, going from someone not expected to play to an absolute mainstay, 15 goals in 30 games from midfield and already being talked about as becoming Motherwell’s most expensive sale of all time when he does move on. Watch his goals and he hits the ball brilliantly around the box, reminiscent of Frank Lampard and completely capable of establishing himself in the team if given a chance.
Problem areas
Goalkeeper – Allan McGregor is currently retired, Craig Gordon out of form, David Marshall is 34 and linked with a spot on the Liverpool bench so may not be playing regularly, Jordan Archer is not good enough to start for Scotland, Scott Bain has an impressive record in a dominant Celtic side but isn’t always convincing, Jon McLaughlin is 31 and not seen as a starter or a long term solution and standouts in the Scottish Premiership like Zander Clark and Liam Kelly are good but untested at the highest level. The goalkeeping position is an issue for Steve Clark and there doesn’t seem an obvious solution for this at the moment, it will be interesting to see which 3 he calls up for Cyprus and Belgium
Right back – This could be an issue for 2 reasons. Firstly, Kieran Tierney is a great player but not better than Robertson, so will Clark be tempted to try and force him into the team at right back despite it limiting Tierney in terms of his performance? Secondly when you look at the current options Callum Patterson is often injured and doesn’t play right back for his club and Liam Palmer hasn’t convinced. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Clark go for Stephen O’Donnell who played for him at Killie, he may be solid enough but not an international standard right back.
Looking at it all we have every reason to be excited about this Scotland team, we have good players to build around and some talent coming through, it just remains to be seen how Clark sets his team up and if he can improve a defence that has been soft for too long. Four points from playing Cyprus and Belgium is doable right?
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