There seems to be a surprise moment for Scotland, who are leading a qualifying group for the European Championship, but that should not be the matter. They smack Spain and Norway in four wins in four games to give themselves a great chance to spend next summer in Germany, and this has nothing to do with luck.
Steve Clarke finished four years as head coach and has a contract until 2026, which gives him stability and gives him time to convey his philosophy to a team that reaches its peak at the right time. Everywhere there is a level of quality that has long been absent in the national configuration. Usually there are one or two outstanding players, but finally there is a group that would be among the most top teams in the five major European leagues
as in all Scottish qualifiers, their most important players stood up to be counted. Liverpool’s Andy Robertson was voted player of the match, and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay scored the decisive second goal to give the team a tenth consecutive victory in the group stage in the rain and puddles.
While Georgia was in the dressing room and was campaigning not to play, Scotland really wanted to return to the Hampden Park field, as it is full of confidence and did not want to lose the momentum it gained during this campaign.
“We showed everyone that we have a real unity,” Billy Gilmour said. “We make sure that we challenge each other every day in training. This is clearly good for Scotland. There is an enthusiasm about the place.”
The variety of experiences is as important as the camaraderie. Scotland will find a way to smack everyone in front of them thanks to the versatile team available to Clarke. They scored a result against Spain and enjoyed possession of only 25%, but scored two decisive goals to none for la Roja, which forced Rodri from Manchester City to whine: “For me it’s a little shit, because it always wastes time. They provoke you. They always fall. For me, this is not football.”
Scotland had more possession than Georgia on Tuesday, along with 14 strikes against nine of their opponents, which made a decisive difference in ensuring that the visitors did not receive a single strike.
Scotland has a lot of knowledge on and off the pitch, especially when it comes to European football. Most of their players work with elite coaches. McTominay has Erik ten Hag at United, Robertson has spent six years with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Kieran Tierney is learning from Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, while John McGinn has Unai Emery at Aston Villa and Billy Gilmour has found his mark at Roberto de zerbis Brighton. Others can bring other skills; Aaron Hickey is playing for Brentford after a stint abroad in Bologna and Jack Hendry impressed during the club’s Champions League campaign in Bruges.
Clarke, meanwhile, spent some time at Chelsea under José Mourinho and became an excellent manager, but the structure in which his teams work can still be attributed to the organization he learned at Stamford Bridge. The 59-year-old has been smart with his behind-the-scenes appointments, which have an impressive portfolio of work behind them; assistant Austin MacPhee has international experience with Mexico and Northern Ireland and works for the Danish side Midtjylland; Goalkeeper coach Chris Wood held the same role with the USA, and John Carver managed in Major League soccer and Cyprus. These different opinions and methods were used to form an effective team under all circumstances.
