SKIPPER ROBERTSON OUT FOR REVENGE AFTER THE HORRORS OF HAIFA
Robertson went through hell in Haifa and states beating Israel to make the play-offs will be...
FROM hope to despair and back again. All over the course of four games. The Nations League might be a shiny new concept, but it has invoked a very familiar swirl of emotions where Scotland’s fortunes are concerned.
Captain Andy Robertson has been right at the heart of it. Playing every minute of the campaign so far, the Liverpool left-back endured last month’s bleak 2-1 defeat in Israel and all the public outcry that followed.
He watched the manager who appointed him skipper come under pressure as fingers were pointed at Alex McLeish. Then came the upheaval caused by nine injury withdrawals prior to Saturday’s restorative 4-0 thrashing of ten-man Albania.
He would argue that none of that matters now. Not really. For all the twists to get here, Scotland’s task has become clear. Victory at Hampden this evening will mean the comfort of a Euro 2020 play-off is banked for the next 16 months.
Robertson would have accepted this scenario before a Nations League ball was first kicked back in September. Gaining revenge over the Israelis for that dark evening in Haifa is the final push required to leave Scotland smiling.
‘Of course we want to put it right,’ said the 24-year-old. ‘Any bad night you want to put right. Albania was a big stepping stone and we will take confidence from that.
‘But Israel were the team that got one over on us and we will be looking to get them back on home soil. It will be a tough game but we are looking forward to it.
‘If someone had told us before the group kicked off that we would get through to the play-offs if we won our last match at home to Israel, we would have taken that.
‘We have that chance. Now we have to go out and take it. It will be tough but we hope to take the confidence from Albania into Tuesday’s match.
‘It’s a great position to be in. We always believed we could go to Albania and win and that’s exactly what we have done.
‘But whatever we did in Albania did not change the task in hand. Israel are on six points and we knew we had to beat them at Hampden in any case.
‘But now, after the Albania result and performance, we have the confidence and the belief that we can do it.
‘We need to go out and prove it. Hopefully, everyone gets behind us, we get a good backing and we can put in a similar performance.’
Thankfully, the focus has now shifted to the players actually on the pitch after last week’s succession of injury withdrawals. With scrutiny on McLeish mounting, each absent name added to a sense of looming crisis as the Albania assignment approached.
Four goals and some fluent attacking play dispelled that foreboding. To Robertson, the performance produced in Shkoder was the perfect way to answer those who questioned precisely where Scotland were heading.
‘Of course it was,’ he said. ‘We let other people do the talking about call-offs and form and stuff like that. But we used it to our advantage and I felt the lads who stepped in against Albania were different class. It was a really good allround performance and we can all take confidence from it.
‘I was saying before the match that there would be a bit of inexperience about the team but the lads were ready to step up. And that’s how it proved.
‘All the boys were brilliant and they showed their qualities. We believe we are still a good team. Yes, we have had a lot of doubters but it was time to step up and we did that.’
Robertson’s influence offered guidance to his colleagues in the back four. David Bates made his senior international debut in central defence, alongside sevencap Scott McKenna, while Callum Paterson — now a striker for Cardiff City — was asked to reprise his former existence as a right-back.
‘I think Callum took a bit of time to get used to playing right-back again, but, once he slotted in, he was different class in the second half,’ insisted Robertson. ‘He really stepped up to the plate.
‘It was an inexperienced backline with David Bates making his debut and Scott McKenna a young guy, too. Maybe in the first half, I was a bit reluctant to go forward because I wanted to make sure we were solid at the back.
‘But when I saw they were dealing with it well, I had a bit more license to go forward.’
Those in front of Robertson had a field day. Celtic winger James Forrest scored his first two international goals — the second a sublime finish to a terrific counter-attack — while Ryan Fraser also got off the mark in a Scotland shirt.
‘James was running away shouting: “It’s my first goal for my country”. I couldn’t quite believe it,’ grinned Robertson. ‘I didn’t think it was. It was a special day for it to happen on his 25th cap.
‘Then he followed that up with another goal. He wanted his hat-trick but it was not to be. Overall, though, it was a fantastic performance from James but I felt all the front men were great against Albania.
‘Even before they went down to ten men, I thought we dominated. Ryan Fraser scored an unbelievable goal to put us 1-0 up and we took confidence from that.
‘The first goal in these games is always crucial. ‘If they had gone ahead, then it’s a different game. But Ryan did what he’s been doing this season (at Bournemouth).
‘He’s been unbelievable. He’s one of the best wingers in the Premier League this season in terms of stats. It was an unbelievable finish from him. ‘If people think it was because they had a man sent off, I would say that we dominated from start to finish and we took our chances.’