STRACHAN SO EXCITED FOR SCOTS’ CRUNCH
BIG HAMPDEN NIGHT AHEAD FOR TARTAN ARMY, WITH VICTORY OVER SLOVAKIA A NECESSITY
Gordon Strachan is feeling excitement more than any other emotion ahead of Scotland’s decisive World Cup qualifiers.
Scotland hauled themselves back into contention ahead of tonight’s Hampden showdown with Slovakia after a disappointing start to Group F, when they took four points from their opening four matches.
Strachan’s side have since gained 10 points from their next four and were only denied a clean sweep by England striker Harry Kane’s dramatic equaliser in June.
The Scotland boss looked to be moments from ending his reign before Chris Martin popped up with a late winner against Slovenia in March, so it is no surprise he is relishing the chance to lead his country to the play-offs.
Victories over both Slovakia and Slovenia this week would secure second spot in Group F and a likely two-legged encounter in November for a place in Russia next summer.
Strachan said: “Forget how big it is, it’s how exciting it is. And it’s really exciting.
“Forget the rest of the emotions, excitement takes over the whole thing.
“When you have a challenge, excitement comes along. It’s really exciting for me and really enjoyable taking on this challenge with the players. We try and start at the same level where we are all looking forward to joining up with each other.
“There’s always a good buzz when we meet, but obviously the buzz is higher if you have got those couple of wins under your belt.”
Strachan’s frame of mind will no doubt have been boosted by the way his side handled that clash with Slovenia, which the ex-Middlesbrough boss unusually branded a “must-win” game.
“We have to deal with must-win games over the last four, I think,” he said. “So we have dealt with that OK. We could only deal with that OK if we’ve got a good spirit and a good bit of camaraderie.
“We believed that we could come back in and play the way we have played in recent months.”
Strachan, 60, feels the Hampden crowd can continue helping his team over the line.
“There were times against Slovenia when we needed their help and they gave us their help, there were times against England when we needed their help to get back in it,” Strachan said.
“Between the players and the fans, we have dragged ourselves back in the position where we can determine our own future. Players can determine their own future but the fans can do that as well. The more help they give us, it works, the more they give us back, vice-versa.” The Scotland manager has had a fairly settled team, but he misses injured midfielders Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong, plus Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie. On-form duo Callum McGregor and John McGinn are challenging for midfield roles. But Strachan said: “Probably the best performance I have seen over the last three or four weeks is Barry Bannan’s (for Sheffield Wednesday against Leeds), so he is certainly at the forefront of what we are trying to do.”