Ferguson calls on Scotland to sharpen their knives ahead of Euros curtain-raiser
Bologna midfielder vows to help put things right against Northern Ireland as Clarke’s side ramp up preparations
LEWIS FERGUSON has acknowledged that Scotland need to develop a ruthless streak in their next three games if they want to enjoy a successful Euro 2024 finals – and promised supporters they will see a vastly improved display against Northern Ireland.
The Bologna midfielder was unable to prevent the national team from crashing to a concerning 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on Friday night in their first warm- up match for Germany this summer.
Steve Clarke’s team dominated
Ronald Koeman’s star-studded side during the opening hour of the international friendly and should really have taken the lead. However, they were unable to convert any of the scoring chances which they created in the final third and they ended up paying a high price for their profligate finishing.
Ferguson, who replaced the outstanding Billy Gilmour in the centre of the park in the second half when the visitors were trailing 1-0, knows that Scotland will need to be far more clinical against Germany, Switzerland and Hungary at Euro 2024 in June if they are to make it through to the knockout rounds of a major tournament for the first time.
However, the former Aberdeen and Hamilton Accies player has stressed the late collapse against the Dutch has fired up every member of the national squad and he is optimistic they can end their six game winless run against Northern Ireland at Hampden on Tuesday evening.
“After any defeat you want to put things right and after this one the fire will be in our bellies for sure,” he said. “Of course, there should be anger there. We’re at home, there should be a big crowd and it’s up to us now.
“We’re not daft. We all know we need to improve. We can take all the positives away from it, but you can’t lose 4-0 and be happy. We can’t forget a scoreline like that. For the first hour we played some really good stuff, looked really comfortable, created good chances, but we didn’t take them and they scored a wonder goal.
“We didn’t deserve to lose by that margin. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the game overall. But the fact is that we shouldn’t be losing by four goals.
“The level’s so high in international football, we’re playing a really good team and if we take those chances then maybe it changes the narrative of the game. But it should have been about know-how. At 2-0 we can’t be as open as we were.”
Clarke made no fewer than six substitutions in the second half. Scotland, who had controlled long periods of the game and silenced the home fans in the 46,223- strong crowd, were not the same at the back or going forward after the replacements came on. They allowed Georginio Wijnaldum, Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen to net during a disastrous 14-minute spell.
Ferguson, who has been linked with summer moves to Italian giants AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Napoli after impressing with Bologna in Serie A this term, does not feel the late collapse can be attributed to the extensive changes which the manager made.
“Some people might say three of the goals came after we made a few
substitutions, but we’re a big squad for a reason and everybody needs to chip in,” he said. “Changes are part of the game, they’re not an excuse.
“We need to learn from it and we need to be much better on Tuesday night. We’re going to need everybody on top form. The learning curve has to take off from here if we want t o do something in t he summer. When you go to a place like that against a team like that, the margins get really narrow. So we can’t miss that many chances and we can’t give that many goals away, it’s as simple as that.”
Scotland benefited greatly from the goals which midfielders Scott McTominay and John McGinn plundered during their hugely successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign – the pair netted 10 of the 17 goals which the national team scored in their eight Group A matches.
Ferguson, who has never been on target for his country, knows that every player who dons a dark blue jersey has to contribute in that area if they are to progress to the last 16 in Germany this summer.
“We all need to chip in with goals, right round the squad,” he said. “John and Scott have been fantastic in terms of goals and assists, but we can’t just rely on them.”
The 24-year-old made his 11th appearance for his country in Amsterdam and he is eager to add to his haul of international caps in the matches which are coming up against Northern Ireland, Gibraltar and Finland and stake a claim for a start at Euro 2024.
“It’s difficult coming on when you’re losing,” he said. “But I just want to play for Scotland, so whatever minutes I get are a good thing. I’m enjoying myself in Italy and playing well. The team’s playing at a really high level and I just hope that’s enough to get me a chance with my country.
“I just need to catch the manager’s eye in training and hopefully get a big longer against Northern Ireland.”
Andy Robertson and his teammates, who have failed to triumph against England, Spain, France, Georgia, Norway and the Netherlands in the past six months, all need to raise their games, not least up f ront, and start to build some much-needed momentum ahead of Euro 2024.