SCOTS CAN MAKE REST OF EUROPE SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE
DENMARK’S pursuit of perfection in this World Cup qualifying group is about to meet its final and toughest test. Setting patriotic hopes aside, it actually wouldn’t shock me if a fast-improving Scotland stopped my country from making it ten wins out of ten.
It should be a tremendous battle tonight. These sides might have already nailed down first and second places in the section, but there is still so much at stake.
Forget the 2-0 stroll Denmark enjoyed in Copenhagen. This will be a completely different encounter. Five successive wins since then have placed Steve Clarke’s men in a far more positive frame of mind.
Scotland have earned the right to believe they can upset this Danish juggernaut.
Kasper Hjulmand’s team have looked unstoppable at times. But if they get out of Hampden with another three points, it will be the crowning feat in a magnificent campaign.
Scotland need the win to guarantee being seeded in the play-offs. That matters. You need a bit of good fortune to help you along the way, yet the steps taken so far by Clarke’s team should also instill confidence for the future regardless.
The Tartan Army like what they are seeing again, and I tend to agree with them.
They see a winning team with a better balance than before. They see players who give their absolute all for their country — and they see hugely talented youngsters such as Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson.
It’s a shame Patterson is suspended this evening but I’ll come back to his importance later on. I can almost see some signs of the belief that exists in Denmark slowly seeping into the Scottish psyche. You need that conviction. If Denmark can reach the semi-finals of the Euros, why can’t Scotland strive to reach a much higher level than they are at right now?
Crucially, the players look to have complete faith in Steve Clarke. They feel his support and are repaying it on the pitch. Don’t underestimate that factor at all.
The players desperately want to go back into the dressing room having done what’s been asked of them. That leadership is really significant. It’s exactly the same with the Danish players and Hjulmand right now.
Forget any idea of Denmark being relaxed tonight because a place in Qatar is already secure. It’s not happening. Look at the reaction to conceding against the Faroe Islands last Friday night.
Denmark had gone through 809 minutes without letting in a goal in this group. Amazing. But Klaemint Olsen’s late finish for the Faroes was still treated as a personal insult.
Kasper Schmeichel went absolutely berserk, just like his dad once did in the days when I played beside him.
Denmark have scored 30 goals in Group F, but all anyone’s talked about in the past 48 hours is the single one in the other column.
Signing off the campaign with win number ten is a huge motivation. After what happened at the Euros, from the shock of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest to reaching the last four, it was so important for this team to show they could carry on. They’ve done that magnificently.
For Scotland, the psychology is different. But they’ll have more than play-off seedings on their minds. Clarke’s players felt they let themselves down in Copenhagen and a desire to put things right can be a huge spur in a dressing room. They’ve done the main job by reaching the play-offs. Now they can strive for a result to really make Europe sit up and take notice.
I mentioned balance earlier and that’s one key to this new momentum. We’ve talked about Scotland being reliant on their left-flank with the axis between Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney and one of the midfielders, often Callum McGregor. There were difficulties on the right side, but the emergence of Patterson has been a huge boost. Denmark will be happy he’s banned because the Rangers youngster makes Scotland a different proposition.
In his absence, Clarke might be tempted to go with late call-up Tony Ralston, who has been such a strong attacking presence for Celtic this season.
It’s a big call. Joakim Maehle is phenomenal on Denmark’s left. Outstanding in the last game against Scotland, Maehle scored against the Faroes in another non-stop, 90-minute effort.
Scotland were overrun at times in Copenhagen, but the GilmourMcGregor-John McGinn triangle will look to shape a different story tonight.
I agree with the joke McGinn might have the most effective backside in international football! He’s so solid, and he uses those attributes to support his intelligence and creativity.
I always love a trip back to Scotland for any reason, but I’m particularly looking forward to doing some television work at Hampden tonight. A perfect occasion for a Dane? Let’s wait and see.