The strikers can mess about but we’d Berra be on guard for 90 mins
Defender issues warning over England stars
CHRISTOPHE BERRA says the Scotland strikers can have a laugh this week but the backline will be deadly serious when it comes to keeping out England.
The centre-back reckons the frontmen have it easy in the build-up to Saturday’s Auld Enemy showdown.
They can faff around in training but the men at the back need to keep their wits all week because if they switch off for even a second they will be made to pay by Gareth Southgate’s side of Premier League all-stars.
There’s no room for high jinks in the defence as Scotland found out at Wembley when Gordon Strachan’s men squared up to the Three Lions, only to get bitten when they dropped their guard.
The Scots gave as good as they got for long spells in November but it didn’t mean a jot as England stuck three headers in the back of the net.
That’s why Berra will leave the carry-on to the attackers and make sure the rearguard are the ones with the last laugh on Saturday evening.
The Hearts man said: “I’ve always said that leading up to games, week in, week out you’ve got to be more concentrated and focused.
“In the build-up to a game strikers can f***y about, it’s true! They’re having a laugh and a joke. Then the central defenders are sitting there saying to themselves, ‘I can’t make a mistake today – or we’ll get crucified’!
“So it’s more of a mental thing, about concentration for defenders. Further up the pitch you can be a bit more relaxed – definitely.”
Wembley was a painful lesson as Scotland were made to pay for wasting chances at one end and gifting opportunities at the other.
Before the nation knew what had hit us the side were 2-0 down and out after goals either side of half-time. The third was just sand getting kicked in the faces of the Tartan Army.
Berra is well aware what good players can do if given the chance and he’s determined to keep the Three Lions on a leash this time around.
He said: “The game at Wembley just came down to taking chances. They took their chances and we didn’t take ours. They were more clinical and that’s football for you.
“That’s why, no disrespect to our squad, their players are playing for teams like Chelsea and Liverpool, the top, top teams in England.
“That can be the difference. You make a mistake, that one little slight switch-off for a second, and these guys can punish you.
“A few of the goals were avoidable, maybe one of them was credit to them but you break any goal down and they are all avoidable.
“Even the 25-yarder, people will tell you someone could have closed the scorer down better.”
Berra – like every other Scotland fan – is hoping to pen a glorious chapter in the history of the famous fixture.
The former Ipswich defender doesn’t need to be told about the so-called quality gap. He can read through the England squad list and sees it every week.
While the Scotland squad is cobbled together with a mixture of players from the all-conquering Celtic side in Scotland, the lower half of the Premier League and the Championship, the English can count on stars who collect more in a week than some of our clubs spend on their entire team over the season.
But that doesn’t mean Strachan’s troops might as well run up the white flag just now – far from it.
Berra knows Scotland can go down in history but more importantly they can also breath life in to a World Cup campaign that looked over a few months ago.
He said: “On paper they all play for the top teams in the Premier League and play in the Champions League.
“The Celtic boys have had a great year. The rest of the squad play for lower-end Premier League teams and higher-end Championship teams.
“That counts for nothing in a one-off game. There have been many games when the underdog has won.
“Scotland have done it against France for example. It is a game of CHRISTOPHE BERRA football lasting 90 minutes. You need a bit of lady luck on your side but we have a good set of lads and the manager will have us well prepared.
“It would be great to win but in the grand scheme of things it is only three points. Our main aim is to get in contention to qualify for Russia.
“Don’t get me wrong, it is a massive game for the players and the fans. With it being the Auld Enemy it is one the fans want to win so they can give their counterparts some stick.
“But when we cross the line it is just about getting the three points.”