admin
Assistant coach Steven Naismith believes Scotland’s squad dynamic is the best it has been ahead of this week’s crucial World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Belarus.
Steve Clarke’s side made a positive start to their qualification campaign last month, earning a goalless draw away to Denmark before beating Belarus 2-0 in Hungary.
They face Greece at Hampden on Thursday before the visit of Belarus on Sunday.
Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay have impressed together at Napoli
“The squad dynamic here at the moment, I don’t think we’ve been in a better place, in terms of players, the minutes they’re playing, and where they’re at,” said Naismith.
“An example is Aaron Hickey coming back from what’s been a torrid couple of years and looking like a different animal.
“You’ve got John McGinn, Andy Robertson, who are leading it, and they’ve had real success at club level.
“We’re in a great place. Scott McTominay is another example of someone last season kicking on and becoming a vital player for Napoli.
“So the squad dynamic is stronger, and I’m going back to the confidence aspect, that’s clear to see in every session, and even when they’re playing at their clubs.”
But what about the goalkeepers?
Craig Gordon earned his 81st cap during his last Scotland appearance in March against Greece
Despite having Ballon d’Or nominee McTominay, free-scoring Aston Villa captain McGinn and Liverpool vice-captainRobertson amongst their ranks, Scotland face a crisis in the goalkeeping department.
Of the three goalkeepers called up to this squad, only Rangers’ Liam Kelly has made a competitive appearance for their club this season, turning out against Alloa Athletic in the Scottish League Cup.
The 42-year-old Hearts No 1 Craig Gordon has only just returned from injury, while Angus Gunn, who impressed against Denmark last month, is still waiting for his Nottingham Forest debut.
Angus Gunn (L) is currently Scotland No. 1 but now faces competition from the likes of Craig Gordon who last played for Hearts in May
“Yeah, it’s not ideal,” admitted Naismith.
“In my playing career, we never had a moment where a goalie wasn’t playing, but you’ve got to take heart and confidence from Angus (Gunn) last month.
“He had a turbulent summer to see where he was going to be, the manager changed when he was just in the door, so there was loads [going on]. But he performed.
“When the country is in a position where you’re getting to tournaments, and you’re looking like you can qualify each time you’re going into a campaign, the desire for the players is huge.
“As I said, you’ve got to take a lot of confidence from last month and the performances that we put in.”
Will Greece haunt Hampden once again?
Scotland lost to Greece in the Nations League earlier this year
The last time Greece visited Hampden, Scotland were humiliated.
Steve Clarke’s side found themselves 3-0 down after 46 minutes, extinguishing any hopes of Nations League A survival despite a 1-0 away win in the first leg.
But Greece haven’t started World Cup qualifying in the way they’d hoped. They lost 3-0 to top seeds Denmark last month, and Naismith believes Scotland are better-equipped than they were in March.
“They were obviously excellent last time we played them but then had a surprise result against Denmark last time around,” Naismith continued.
Scotland drew 0-0 with Denmark in their opening World Cup qualifier
“If you watch the performance though, you look at the result and you think Denmark battered them, but the game wasn’t like that.
“The game was tighter. Especially two of Denmark’s goals, there was real quality from what is a top team.
“It probably highlights the fine margins within the group and the squads. The away result against Greece in March was excellent, coming home in the Nations League, the performance here wasn’t good enough.
“But I think we’ve got a clear idea of what needs to be better, what we’re really good at as a team, and as I said, the confidence is really high.”
Scotland squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers).
Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al Etiffaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ben Gannon Doak (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Lennon Miller (Udinese).
Forwards: Che Adams (Torino), Kieron Bowie (Hibernian), Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham), George Hirst (Ipswich).
How the campaign started
Che Adams scored as Scotland beat Belarus
Scotland picked up four points from their opening two qualifiers ahead of this Hampden Park double-header, as Clarke bids to guide the men’s side to their first World Cup since 1998.
The campaign started with a draw away to top seeds Denmark, followed by a 2-0 win away to Belarus – results that leave Scotland level on points with the Danes at the top of Group C.
Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers
- Greece (H) – October 9
- Belarus (H) – October 12
- Greece (A) – November 15
- Denmark (H) – November 18
#Scotland #Steven #Naismith #believes #squad #dynamic #strongest #ahead #Greece #Belarus #games #Football #News
