NOW OR NEVER
Andy: Scots need to step up in next two games to top Nations League group and wipe out pain of back-to-back defeats
SCOTLAND skipper Andy Robertson watched his side slump to their second defeat and admits it’s NOW or NEVER. The Liverpool full-back is convinced the squad have the bottle and desire to bounce back from back-to-back defeats against Israel and Portugal. Scotland put their Nations League hopes on the line next month when they visit Albania on November 17 before Israel arrive at Hampden three days later. Robertson is adamant the 3-1 defeat to European champions Portugal at the National Stadium will not dampen their enthusiasm for the task and will only toughen their resolve. He said: “We have a squad that can definitely cope with the pressure and I’m sure the younger lads won’t have any fear.
“However it’s up to the experienced boys such as me, Naisy and Charlie Mulgrew to help the younger ones out.
“The next two games are crucial but we look forward to them. “It’s a four-game group and that’s maybe the slight downfall of the Nations League – there is no margin for error. “It’s a three-team league and the next two games are must win. “We have to embrace the situation and look forward to the games, there is no point shying away from that. We have to win in Albania. It’s now or never. The two games are big and hopefully we will be spot on when we meet up.
“We are in a four-game group and we have two games left. They are must-win. We only have three points and that’s not enough.
“When the group came out we would have fancied ourselves to finish top – and we still do.
“Hopefully we go there with confidence and the country can look forward to it and not be scared.
“I hope the Israel defeat will be in our minds when we travel to face Albania but that we can use it as a positive.
“We don’t want to go through that experience of Israel again and I’m sure the lads won’t use it as a negative.
“I know what characters we have in that squad and we will use the defeat as motivation.
“Albania will be tough but we believe we can win it. If we do it sets us up nicely for the Israel game at Hampden.”
The Scots started positively against the Portuguese but individual errors were their undoing as they lost
three sloppy goals to Helder Costa, Eder and Bruma.
Costa’s opener two minutes before half-time was a psychological blow and came about when Oli McBurnie failed to hold possession in attack and the Scots defence were caught out and afraid to commit.
The defence were posted missing when Eder rose to nod the second and Jack Hendry lost possession as the Scots were cut apart on the counter for the third.
However, they also passed up several good chances before Steven Naismith’s injury-time consolation, not least when Scott McKenna sent a flying header wide of the post early in the second half when he should really have burst the net.
Robertson said: “The first half was good. We showed a reaction from Thursday and we got balls in the box and we were a bit unlucky not to get on the end of one.
“The opener was a sloppy goal to lose but we came back out and tried to stay confident.
“However, Portugal are a good team and started to take control. The two goals in the second half are from mistakes
which are easily avoidable. We have to look at that and have to start cutting these mistakes out because they are costing us in too many games. They need to stop.
“Scott also had a really good chance and had that gone in we would have gone from strength to strength. But the performance was a lot better than Thursday.
“We have had a lot of criticism since Thursday and the lads wanted to go out and do well. We were looking for a positive start and we managed to get that. There were some fresher legs and I felt some lads took their chance very well.”
Nevertheless the pressure is building on Alex McLeish who has now taken charge of eight games in his second spell as Scotland boss and won just twice, losing six.
His team have conceded 13 goals in that time, scoring only five – and Robertson admits it’s time they delivered payback for the boss.
He said: “Yes, 100 per cent we have to step up for the manager, as he doesn’t cross the white lines.
“We let him down on Thursday in Israel. We weren’t good enough. The result was the same against Portugal but the performance was a lot better.
“If we can do that in the competitive games, hopefully it will lead to better
results.”