âScotlandâs soft touches must become hard cases againâ
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Will Scotland fans see a response to the heavy defeat in Munich?
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Published
Remember the halcyon months of March to September last year?
Remember the run of wins against Spain, Norway and Georgia that propelled Scotland into Euro 2024 and fuelled the Tartan Army more than any amount of bevvy ever could?
Scotland were among the darlings of European football â and what a time it was.
Five matches, five victories. Scotland went up against the creativity and goalscoring might of Rodri, Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and conceded one goal â from the penalty spot.
They played dynamic football at times. When not playing so fluently, they dug in and still won. They were as tight as a drum. Nothing came easy against Steve Clarkeâs driven men.
A nation now needs that team, and its guile, belligerence and stingy defence, to reappear â and quickly.
On Wednesday against Switzerland â who have reached the knockout stages of five finals in a row â they have a game to keep themselves in the tournament.
Blind hope says theyâll take a point, or three. A judgement based more on head over heart might produce a different forecast.
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Published17 hours ago
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Published11 hours ago
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âEnough errors to make tough men weepâ
Over the last 10 months, Scotlandâs defence has sprung holes. Where before they were a team that didnât concede, theyâre now a team that canât stop conceding.
The stat theyâve been hit with every day since shipping five â going on seven â against Germany, is 26 goals given away in 10 games.
Clarke doesnât need any reminding of how standards have fallen. It was written on his face on Friday, and again on Sunday, when he spoke to the media.
Itâs not just the weight of goals Scotland are losing that must be messing with his head, itâs the type of goals, the maddening simplicity of some of them, the errors that could make a tough man weep.
All this started with the friendly against England. Phil Foden scored from the edge of the six-yard box with nobody picking him up. Jude Bellingham made it two after Andy Robertson passed him the ball. Harry Kane made it three when Robertson was sleeping.
They played Spain next and again the vulnerability in their own six-yard box was a feature. Alvaro Morata headed home from close range. Aaron Hickeyâs slip while in possession was the principle cause of Spainâs second, even though it was Ryan Porteous who put the ball in his own net.
The 4-1 loss to France featured two more headed goals from inside Scotlandâs six-yard box, an area of the pitch that had previously been something of a fortress.
Whatâs the Swiss capital? Whatâs the currency? And the population?
England, Spain and France are class sides with multiple weapons. Losing goals against them can be tolerated, but a spiral had begun and Scotland havenât stopped spinning in the vortex ever since.
Kvaratskhelia scored from close range in the 2â2 draw in Tbilisi.
In the 3-3 draw with Norway that followed, the visitors got their first via a shot near the penalty spot, their second via a near-post finish and their third from a free header in the six-yard box again.
All three originated down Scotlandâs left, where Greg Taylor was left exposed. Robertson didnât play, but as experienced as he is, the captain has not been a particularly good defender in this run of games.
Scotlandâs problems donât solely exist down the right-hand side. Germany hit them with left-right combinations throughout Fridayâs game.
The Netherlands scored two of their four on, or just outside, the six-yard box.
Nathan Patterson gave the ball away for Northern Irelandâs winner at Hampden in March.
Finland scored with yet another free header just outside the six-yard box and got an equaliser after Craig Gordon gave away a penalty.
And then Scotland lost 5-1 against Germany when all the frailties were horribly exposed by an utterly exhilarating home team.
This is a deep-rooted pattern of behaviour now, not just against Europeâs elite but also against nations outside the top strata.
âPsychology needed as much as coachingâ
Scotland are without Hickey at these championships and his loss is wounding at right wing-back, but what ails Clarkeâs side is bigger than just one absent player.
This is about a soft underbelly appearing where before there was resilience. This is about doubt replacing certainty all over the pitch.
And itâs about Clarke trying to pull off a feat of psychology as much as a feat of coaching against the Swiss.
Itâs about personnel and structure, but itâs also about mindset at this point.
Theyâve just been pummelled. By turns, they themselves have spoken about an embarrassment and a humbling.
Callum McGregor has apologised to the fans, who have been nothing short of extraordinary, even by their jaw-dropping standards.
McGregor said on Saturday that Switzerland will smell blood â and they will.
He, and others, have spoken about the need to stick together and stay strong. Wednesday will be the test of that.
Clarke has done many excellent things as Scotland head coach. He has fixed problems that looked unfixable, he has won matches that for a generation looked unwinnable, he has taken Scotland to tournaments that looked out of reach.
He did it over time, but he doesnât have any time now. Wherever this teamâs fearlessness has wandered off to, it needs to find its way back.
The soft touches need to become hard cases again.