NO EXCUSES: WE NEED TO WIN
Scotland assistant Carver urges players to seize play-off spot with victory in Moldova
IF you had offered Scotland the opportunity to secure a play-off spot for the World Cup with a win over Moldova at the outset of their qualifying group, they would have snapped your hand off.
Having worked so hard to get themselves into that very position, it seems inconceivable that they would now fail to finish off the job.
That is why the players and coaching staff have been whisked off to Spain this week ahead of their trip to Chisinau, the same La Finca training base they used to prepare for the European Championships in the summer.
Steve Clarke and his coaching team are keen to leave no stone unturned as they bid to reach their second major tournament in succession and Scotland’s first World Cup since 1998, and the message from Clarke’s assistant John Carver is clear. No excuses.
“Absolutely,” Carver said. “This has given the players and the staff the chance to prepare properly because we know these games can be difficult, as we saw in the Faroes. There are no excuses.
“We’ve given ourselves the best opportunity possible going into these two games with the preparations having been so good.”
A quick glance out of the window should make clear why the decision was made to head to warmer climes.
“I was up there at the weekend, in that stand at Hearts, and it was gale-force winds, raining and freezing,” said Carver.
“That’s why it’s perfect being here. This is where we came in the summer before the Euros, because we knew we’d be guaranteed the weather and when I see what the weather was like at the weekend in Scotland, it made sense to come out here.
“This place is world class. The pitches are fantastic, the hotel is great, the gyms are excellent so we’ve got everything going for us here.
“Can you imagine being at Oriam with those gale-force winds and torrential rain? It made a lot of sense and it gives us a chance to do some good quality work in the time we’ve got leading into the Moldova game.
“Also, you can get a bit longer on the training ground when the sun’s shining and you’re not getting players standing around freezing cold, so it’s made a lot of sense.”
All right for some. Though the contrast between the sun currently on the backs of the Scotland players to the frosty reception they might receive from the Tartan Army should they slip up in Chisinau will be striking.
Even if they do, they will have a second bite at the cherry against group winners Denmark at a soldout Hampden on Monday evening, but Carver would understandably rather be going into that match with the only remaining issue to be resolved surrounding Scotland’s status as seeds for the play-offs.
“That’s our priority,” he said. “We’ve not looked at ‘can we qualify, can we finish second, will we be seeded?’.
“All we’re looking at is Friday night. That’s the most important bit and if we can qualify on Friday night then we’ll look to the future and look to the next game. But let’s get the job done on Friday night. That’s the most important bit.
“It’s great that it’s in our hands and that’s only the case because of what we did in Austria, what we did at Hampden against Israel and more importantly, what we did in the Faroe Islands.
“We spoke about how difficult that would be and what we don’t want is all that hard work to go down the drain.
“Knowing the character and mentality of these guys, hopefully that won’t happen. Hopefully they’ll be right and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be prepared and ready for the game on Friday.”
Seasoned Tartan Army soldiers will no doubt be steeling themselves for another nervy night against
We’ve not looked at ‘can we qualify, can we finish second, will we be seeded?’. All we’re looking at is Friday night
Moldova, with the late win in the Faroe Islands doing much for Scotland’s hopes of World Cup qualification, but little for the blood pressure of their supporters.
Carver would dearly love to reassure Scotland fans that it will be smoother sailing this time around, but the best he can do is reiterate that this squad will do all they can to deliver that crucial victory, no matter how long it takes them.
“You have to see how the game evolves,” he said. “It’s difficult to say we’ll go at them from the first whistle or that we’ll play and find our way into the game.
“They will get numbers behind the ball and defend with a low block with a five, a four and a one possibly. I’d be very surprised if they change the way they normally play, but they can be a massive threat on the counter-attack. I watched their recent game against Israel and although Israel were 2-0 up, their goalkeeper had to make a couple of good saves. And when Moldova went down to 10 men near the end of the game, they actually played really well, so they do have a threat.
“We’ll have to get there and see what the pitch and the conditions are like, but I’m sure we’ll have quite a bit of the ball but we can’t go gungho, thinking that we can throw everything at them from the first whistle.
“We have to manage the game. Look at the Faroes game – it took us until the 86th minute before we broke them down. But this group is good at finding a way to break teams down. It might take the last five minutes but they’ve shown they can do it.”