Scotland’s Euro 2024 issues escalated in Gibraltar as victory brings injury and striking concerns.
Faro’s seven-game winless streak has come to an end, but the task was far from easy.
Relax, everyone; it’s only Germany in a week on Friday. Everything will be fine over the night. That remains the hope, and Scotland’s dislike to friendly is well-known.
A win is a win, obviously. And Steve Clarke’s team was in desperate need of one after seven games without a win. But there was a lot for the manager to think about from his perch in the stand.
Ross McCorie had not expected to gain his maiden international cap in this manner. Singing Flower of Scotland at an almost empty stadium. He wasn’t even wearing the iconic dark blue. Scotland revealed its new second strip, with the color described as “light.”
Still, it will all become true for McCrorie and his teammates soon enough, but as things stand, one player, possibly two if Clarke chooses to replace Lyndon Dykes, will not arrive in Germany on Sunday. Unfortunately, Clarke may not even have a decision to make. Liam Cooper limped off toward the end after a tough challenge. It’s now a matter of waiting and seeing with him.
McCrorie, as one of just two right wing-backs, is unlikely to get sent off, but there was nothing he could do to impress against such moderate competition. That was the problem. What constituted success? A multi-goal win? Simply finishing the match without any new injury headaches? Cooper did not even meet that low standard.
Alarmingly, Scotland toiled here against a team of mostly semi-professionals. The 650 or so travelling Scotland fans were fairly forgiving in the end but if Clarke’s side are struggling to break down the opposition in this kind of fixture, what on earth is going to happen against the Euro 2024 hosts in the Allianz Arena? Ryan Christie eventually broke the deadlock – yes, deadlock – when lashing into the net after 59 minutes following a goalmouth scramble.
It was Scotland’s first goal since Stuart Armstrong scored just before the hour mark in the 3-3 draw with Denmark back in November. Che Adams came on to lend a hand and thumped in a volley to make it 2-0 after John McGinn’s lofted assist. The Southampton striker needs a Handle with Care tag clipped to him ahead of the coming days. He is becoming increasingly essential to Scotland’s ambitions. Clarke has no other option to lead the line.
Lawrence Shankland huffed and puffed while posting another blank here. He looked to have forgotten the shooting boots he wears with such prodigious success at Hearts. One is careful not to venerate Dykes too much, with the danger being that he becomes a better player every time he doesn’t play. But he was missed here and, as Clarke has already made clear, his absence will be sorely felt in Germany. Scotland have no one quite like him.
While the opposition they were up against might not have been up to much, the competition between Scotland players is fierce. It needs to be. Each squad member knows they might not get many other chances to play in a major finals. There was a danger of playing their way out as well as in here on the Algarve, where work began in earnest at the start of a potentially historic month for Scotland.
And let’s face it, several might have done so if Clarke had the luxury of being more ruthless. He needs these players. Scotland needs them. But they seem a slightly rum collection of the half-fit and out of form. Hanley made his first international appearance since the win over Spain in March last year and looked understandably heavy legged following only a few run-outs with Norwich City. He should have scored at least once though, heading into the ground and over early on and then seeing another header well saved by Jaylan Hankins, the debutant keeper who plays for a team called Bruno’s Magpies.
