‘Baffling’ choice Scotland cannot repeat vs Brazil and modifications Steve Clarke should make
The 1-0 reverse to Morocco wasn’t a complete catastrophe for Scotland but many pundits and fans were left questioning whether manager Steve Clarke was overly cautious in Boston.
After winning their opening game against minnows Haiti thanks to John McGinn’s first half goal, the Tartan Army went into the clash with Morocco with a measure of confidence. But they were rocked early on when Ismael Saibari slammed the Africa Cup of Nations champions in front after just 70 seconds – the fastest goals of the finals so far. The Scots struggled to carve out clear-cut chances afterwards, despite grumbles over some penalty appeals, and were deservedly beaten.
Yet their hopes of a historic knockout place remain in their own hands with one group game to go. However, that may be easier said than done, as a point is required against Brazil on Wednesday to see Steve Clarke’s side through to the next stages in North America. The Daily Star’s sister paper north of the border, the Daily Record, asked its pundits whether their manager got it right against Morocco and what must change if they are to survive against Brazil.
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Was Steve Clarke too cautious against Morocco?
ANDY NEWPORT: Steve Clarke played it safe with his team selection and tactics and suffered the consequences. I always harboured concerns about Grant Hanley’s lack of pace and those worries proved well-founded within 70 seconds.
But omitting Ben Gannon-Doak was the real baffling decision. He’s our game-changer and should have been in the starting XI.
GAVIN BERRY: Absolutely. Scotland ought to have been more adventurous and not starting Gannon-Doak is bewildering.
Even in a cautious formation, his pace on the break remains crucial. The strategy of sitting back and hoping to pinch something is far too negative – we should have had a proper go and been left with no regrets.
RYAN McDONALD: I wasn’t taken aback to see Clarke adopt a more defensive stance against one of the globe’s elite sides. But our pressing was completely off and Che Adams was left far too isolated up top.
If we line up the same way against Brazil, we’ll be in serious bother.
What did you make of the major penalty appeals Scotland saw waved away?
ANDY: I didn’t consider the John McGinn incident a strong enough claim as he seemed to be going down before receiving the nudge. But there’s clear contact on Scott McTominay, which ought to have led to a penalty.
GAVIN: We must also consider the potential red card for the tackle on Che Adams. All are valid points, especially the John McGinn one, but none were clear-cut penalties.
It appears VAR will only intervene if the referee makes a glaring error, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given what we’ve seen in our own game at times. We can’t overlook that we escaped a couple of major calls against us in the Haiti match, including a possible red card for Kenny McLean.
RYAN: Removing my tartan-tinted spectacles for a moment, I’m not convinced either was a penalty. In my view, McGinn was already falling.
Yes, there was some contact, but the ref was lenient throughout and it was never going to be overturned. McTominay took a gamble, but it was definitely not a penalty.
How confident are you that Scotland will make history and escape the group stage?
RYAN: It’s remarkable to think a 1-0 victory over Haiti could end our 72-year wait to reach the knockout stages.
Other results have swung in our favour, and if we can avoid a thrashing against Brazil, we’re virtually guaranteed a spot in the last 32 and one step closer to the final in New Jersey.
ANDY: The chances are we’ll still progress as long as we keep things tight and don’t let the goal difference take a hit. Brazil may not be the powerhouse they once were, but they still pose significant threats up front.
We need to eliminate the foolish errors like the one we witnessed 70 seconds into the match at the Gillette.
GAVIN: It’s still early days, but results seem to be swinging in our favour and I’d prefer to see more in the performance to instil confidence that we could actually make an impact when we get there, rather than a 1-0 victory over Haiti being the tournament highlight.
What alterations, if any, would you suggest for Scotland’s showdown with Brazil in Miami?
ANDY: To begin with, Ben Gannon-Doak HAS to start. He’s not exactly a world-class player but we’re a much stronger team with him in it.
Scott McKenna should come in for Hanley, Aaron Hickey replaces Nathan Patterson while I’d also introduce Kenny McLean as his calmness on the ball will be crucial against the Samba stars.
GAVIN: Steve Clarke should shake things up a bit. If he’s fit then I’d bring in Scott McKenna for Grant Hanley given the speed of Brazil’s forwards.
Ben Gannon-Doak from the off and possibly Kenny McLean in midfield. And an alternative to Che Adams up front – Lawrence Shankland or Ross Stewart.
RYAN: We must be the only country that would bench a unique talent like Ben Gannon-Doak. We had no outlet against Morocco and BGD must start.
I’d drop Grant Hanley for Scott McKenna if Kieran Tierney’s fit. Aaron Hickey comes in for Nathan Patterson and Lawrence Shankland gets the nod over Che Adams.
