Tough journey for Scotland sees them rewarded as they remain in League A
The Tartan Army are in high spirits after two wins in a row. Photo by Sebastian Pociecha via Unsplash
By Jack Meney
This Nations League campaign has been a tough one to take for Scotland. Multiple tight games and decent performances were had by Steve Clarke’s side but they always seemed to fall short. After the last two games, the Tartan Army are in high spirits after the team were able to pull off two back-to-back wins.
Fans were left feeling defeated going into the recent international break, with the team only managing to get one win in 16 games. This naturally led to some calls for manager Clarke to be sacked, and for a replacement to start in time for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Hopes were high at the start of the summer as an estimated 200,000 fans travelled to Germany to watch their national team play in the Euro 2024 tournament. This trip turned out to be a lot more painful than was hoped, as the team went winless, only managing to get a draw against Switzerland.
The Scotland team applauding the fans after the Switzerland game by Ozan Kose via Gettyimages
The opening match saw dreams crushed as the host nation won more than convincingly with a 5-1 annihilation of Clarke’s side. The next game then saw a better performance from the Scots against Switzerland but the Swiss also fought hard, with the game finishing 1-1. The final game had everyone watching, on the edge of their seats as progression to the round of 16 was still possible.
The score was 0-0 most of the game, with the Scotland team unlucky to not find the back of the net. A win was needed but at the final stages of the game, after Stewart Armstrong was denied a penalty, Hungary were the ones to secure the three points after a last-minute winner.
After a painful summer, focus shifted to the Nations League, where the Scottish National Team made their debut in League A, but competition was tougher, and that showed. Scotland were putting in valiant efforts but each time they fell short, with performances lacking the extra quality that they showed to qualify for the Euros.
As they entered this international break, the team only had one point in the league after a draw against Portugal. To qualify for Pot 1 in the World Cup draw, a win in the final two games was necessary. To remain amongst the best national teams in Europe, in League A, a win against Croatia would be enough if Poland lost to Portugal in the first game.
The 2022 World Cup finals draw by Difodi images via Gettyimages
On the 15th, the game against Croatia took place and it started off as expected, with the 12th-best-ranked team in the world showing their class. In the first half, the Croatians controlled the play, putting the pressure on, but the Scots were able to fend off the constant attacks, despite making mistakes.
The first half ended all square, but the second yellow card for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Petar Sučic set the scene for a very interesting second half. The game opened up from there, with the Scots getting back into the game against a 10-man Croatia. The game looked as if it was going to trickle out and end in a draw but then the starman, who has been off form recently, “Super” John McGinn, scored the winner late on in the match.
The win against Croatia restored the hope that Scotland could remain in League A, and the supporters knew that a win against Poland would do the job. There were lots of possible outcomes that could also see Scotland secure a place in Pot 1 for the draw of the World Cup qualifiers.
The game kicked off with a remarkable start as they were given an early advantage through John McGinn once again. The Tartan Army were elated as they were seeing a totally different team from the one that they had seen for the last year.
The game took a turn when Poland scored on the hour mark after countless attacks and the game was 1-1, despite Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay hitting the woodwork. It was a worry now for the Scots as their lead saw them third and potentially second in the group, depending on the Croatia score but now they were back in fourth position.
Scotland youngster Ben Doak against Poland by Radwanski
Croatia then also scored, making their game 1-1, which made a Pot 1 position look very unlikely.
The game was looking to be over, yet another disappointment for the Scots, but in the dying embers, defender John Souttar crossed the ball for Andy Robertson. The captain was able to get power on the header and find the back of the net for yet another magic moment during Clarke’s reign.
After being winless in League A, the Scots won their final two matches which seemed almost impossible going into this break.
Remaining in the top flight, the focus turns towards qualifying for the World Cup. Especially since the Euros, it seemed that the team needed a big change, but in this break, we have seen stellar performances from McGinn, Ben Doak, Gilmour, McTominay and Souttar, which gives a bit more to look forward to.
In terms of Clarke’s future, these two wins make the conversation slightly more complicated. The obvious answer to the team’s drought would be to sack the manager, but now that we have seen two good performances that have led to results, there might still be some success left for Clarke.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke in post match press conference by Ian MacNicol - UEFA via Gettyimages
One of the main issues for Scotland has been that even if they have been performing well, the results haven’t gone their way. This could be changing and it has to change for good if Clarke’s side wants to be present in North America for the World Cup in 2026.
A lot of fans will be calling for improvement from the available strikers. The Scots have been lacking a prominent goal threat down the middle and have been relying on their midfielders for goals. It seems that if they had a number nine who scored goals and took advantage of the chances created, then that could be the final piece of the puzzle.
It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Scotland as they might be getting close to the performance levels they were showing when they qualified for the Euros. With that being said, a couple of bad results could easily change the situation, and manager Clarke could possibly have a target on his back once again.