The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Scots aim to show they are not just one-hit wonders
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has called on his team to prove they are no “one-tournament wonders”. Scotland will end a 23-year absence from the big stage at this summer’s Euro 2020 finals but the focus is on the World Cup as Clarke’s men begin their qualifying campaign against Austria tonight.
Clarke said: “The squad is focused completely on the World Cup games because they are the most important ones.
“We have said almost since we qualified for the Euros that we don’t want to be onetournament wonders. We want to have a continued period of success. That starts tomorrow night against Austria at Hampden.”
Clarke lost Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack to a calf problem on Monday but has the likes of John Fleck and Kenny McLean as alternatives, while Scott McTominay could move forward into his natural midfield position.
“We lost Ryan Jack but we sort of pre-empted that so we are in good shape,” Clarke said.
“It is a blow for us because he has done well for us and he plays a certain position in midfield that without him we don’t really have.
“So we will miss him but we have got a really good squad now so time for someone else to step forward.
“The little time we have had on the training pitch has been really good work, high quality so hopefully we can take that on to the pitch.”
Austria have also qualified for the European Championship, for the second time running, but like Scotland have not reached the World Cup finals since 1998 when they finished above Craig Brown’s side in their section.
The visitors faced being without 19 German-based players but more lenient quarantine measures came into place just in time for them to include the likes of Bayern Munich defender David Alaba.
“They are a good team,” Clarke said. “I think their strength is probably in the team rather than individuals. Like any Austrian team, physically strong but good technically as well. Dangerous in certain areas of the pitch.
“We will set up to try and nullify that but we want to be on the front foot as well, we want to make sure we cause them a lot of problems, which I think we can. I think I have a good squad of players and I think we can get better and better.”
Andy Robertson is getting greedy. The former Dundee United star has won a Champions League, an English Premier League and the World Club Championship with Liverpool and captained his nation to droughtending Euro 2020 qualification.
But the Scotland skipper doesn’t want to stop there. He is quite taken with the prospect of playing at a World Cup as well.
The road to Qatar 2022 begins at Hampden Park against Austria, the first part of a triple header that moves to Israel at the weekend then back to Glasgow for a clash with the Faroe Islands next Wednesday night.
For the most decorated Scottish footballer of many years, there is a club and country set to be completed.
“The Euros is a huge competition and to qualify for that is great,” said Robertson. “But the World Cup is that step up.
“Playing against all the nations of the world – the South Americans, the Africans – would be right up there.
“I suppose we’ve got the monkey off our back, as such, by finally qualifying for a major tournament after such a long time.
“Now it’s about building momentum with that. It’s not waiting for as long as the next one. It’s about getting Scotland back to qualifying for tournaments on a regular basis.
“So, we’re the group of boys who can hopefully do that. But we know how hard it’s going to be and it’s up to us to be able to show our qualities to get into the position to do so.
“It‘s about trying to create a team and a squad and a generation so the nation becomes used to qualifying for tournaments. That’s certainly our motivation.
“It’s OK getting that monkey off your back and qualifying for the first major tournament in 23 years. But we don’t want to wait that long again – or anywhere close to that. We want to be successful in a Scotland shirt. We’re in control of that.”
Since the group games leading up to France ’98, Scotland have only won three of their 11 opening matches. Given the fact that all bar the last campaign have ended in failure (and even that was via a back-door route) the importance of bucking that trend against Austria cannot be downplayed.
“It’s always something you try to do, of course, get off to a good start,” said Robertson.
“That is key. It stands you in good stead for the rest of the campaign.
“The qualifying campaigns I’ve been involved in, it’s always been one silly result that’s kind of killed us. For instance, Georgia away, Lithuania at home, these games come to mind.
“Then when you play against the big nations, England equalising in the last minute. That was hard to take.
“It’s the lesser games that have killed us in previous campaigns.
“We’ve got real tough games in March and we need to make sure we’re at our best to try to get off to the good start we want.
“We need to be at our best to beat Austria.
“They’re the seeds above us and they are a quality team.
“We’ve watched videos of them all week,” he said.
“We know their qualities, but we also know our qualities and we know what we can put on them to try and win the game.
“We need to be at our best to get out of this group. Only one team qualifies automatically and then you’re playing for a play-off space.
“So teams will be going for it and let’s see where we end up. We’ll be giving it our all.
“Now we’ve got a feeling of qualifying for a major tournament and we want that feeling a lot more often.”
The glass half-full way of looking at Scotland’s pool is that first place does not feel like mission impossible.
The glass half-empty perspective is there are four nations who will each have reasonable expectations of progressing.
“I think it could be a very competitive group,” said Robertson.
“Scotland fans will have been sitting, watching the draw and they will have seen us avoid France, Germany and Spain and thought: ‘We’ve got a chance’.
“But, Denmark and Austria are very good teams and we’ve seen how difficult games against the likes of Israel are.
“So, it’s a competitive group and I believe we can be competitive for qualifying.
“Let’s see who comes out on top.
“But, we just need to focus on this first group of fixtures and hopefully it will stand us in good stead for the next ones coming in September.”