Clarke: I had no worries about Patterson’s lack of game time
Scotland schedule up in the air but confident Che Adams says they can ‘put on a show against anyone’ when the time comes.
Steve Clarke has stressed that playing Nathan Patterson from the start for Scotland despite so little playing time at his club was a straightforward decision.
The Scotland manager added that he has no fears about doing so again in the future if the teenager continues to struggle to break into the Everton first team.
The full-back has found it hard to establish himself at Goodison Park since his move south from Rangers in January. But he caught the eye again at right wing-back for
Scotland in Thursday night’s 1-1 draw with Poland at Hampden Park.
Everton supporters took to social media in droves to question why Patterson was being kept out of the Everton firstteam by Seamus Coleman and Jonjoe Kenny.
Patterson has played just 45 minutes for Everton. He was replaced at half-time of the FA Cup victory over Boreham Wood and hasn’t featured since under Frank Lampard.
But he was given 67 minutes against Poland as Scotland enjoyed a productive runout in place of the postponed World Cup semi-final play-off clash with Ukraine. He could feature in the starting XI again on Tuesday when Scotland take on Austria in Vienna. “I had no worries about Nathan, none whatsoever,” said Clarke. “I know the level he has gone down to train in and even just training at that level, working with English Premier League players, it’s a good level.
“As long as he’s doing his work properly on the training pitch then he’ll always have enough in his legs to come and play for us.
"I saw him stretching and when he starts to stretch you don’t want to risk an injury for the boy so we took him off. But his performance was really good for a boy who has had so little football.”
Patterson was an energetic presence on the right for Scotland and he proved their main attacking outlet in the first half with three shots. The first came via a mazy run where he beat three opponents. Everton fans were circulating clips of the solo effort on social media as they sought to understand why they had not seen more of the 19-year-old.
Clarke is simply glad he has Patterson and other young talents at his disposal. Billy Gilmour, 20, won his 11th cap in midfield while Aaron Hickey made his debut in the second half. The 19-year-old looked at home on the left during his 25 minutes on the pitch.
Clarke believes that having such youngsters at his or anyone else's disposal can only enhance Scotland's hopes of qualifying for the next four major finals. “It’s good having these young players,” said Clarke. “Gilmour and Nathan Patterson played on Thursday, young Aaron Hickey came off the bench as well.
“We have a good age so this group of players can go for another two, three or four tournaments if they want. That is fantastic for the future.
“Billy and Callum [Mcgregor] are two really good footballers on the ball,” he added. “We always try to play anyway, that’s whatwehavealwaystriedtodo. But when you have two players like that in midfield you have to give them the ball otherwise there’s no point in playing them.”
When Che Adams made his international debut a year ago yesterday, Scotland's World Cup prospects looked bleak. A 2-2 draw at home to Austria was perceived to have killed off Scotland’s hopes of making Qatar at the first hurdle.
Adams did come on to help Steve Clarke’s side rescue a point against the Austrians courtesy of John Mcginn’s acrobatic overhead kick. The general feeling seemed to be that two points dropped at home against a rival for second place in the opening game was too great an obstacle to overcome, even so early in the campaign.
A spirited Scotland disproved that with a game to spare. Another draw, this time against Poland and albeit in a friendly, provided more evidence of just how much the team have improved under Clarke in the last 12 months. Scotland were disappointed rather than relieved to have drawn with a higher-ranked nation at home. Everything remains in front of them. The World Cup is still a bewitching possibility.
The Poles may not have been firing on all cylinders given they have a World Cup play-off final to contest against Sweden on Tuesday.
But Thursday's fund-raising clash proved a competitive run out – more competitive, indeed, than the Poles will have wanted given the injuries they sustained. It kept Scotland ticking over as they play a very unsatisfying waiting game amid ongoing uncertaintyduetothewarinukraine.
Something has become clearer at least. Scotland will be heading to Cardiff to take on Wales in a play-off final if they can overcome Ukraine.
The Welsh seem to be relying on the almost supernatural will of Gareth Bale to lead them to a first World Cup finals since 1958. He will prove a major threat providing Scotland can first manage to find a way past Ukraine, who will have the backing of nearly every neutral.
No one can complain about Scotland having had it easy if they are to get to Qatar at the end of this year. Such is the confidence that now exists within the squad Adams believes Scotland are a match for any nation.
Bring it on, he seems to be urging. The trouble is it can't be brought on. Not yet at least. Not until Fifa decides what should be done in an impossibly complicated and sensitive situation.
"I think we can take anyone on our day, to be honest," said Adams. "We make demands on each other every day in training, and we have belief. It’s up to us to take that onto the pitch.”
From being something of an unknown quantity to Scots this time last year, Adams has now amassed 14 caps. He has settled into a Scotland team that is operating with a pleasing fluency. “He is going to make the squad better,” said Clarke following the striker’s debut last year. “He is going to make the team better.”
This prediction has proved very accurate. Being held to a draw at home by a team ranked No 28 in the world is now considered slightly deflating after the recent strides taken. Adams recognised that. Poland’s late, late penalty stemmed a run of six consecutive victories and even though it was only a friendly, there was some gloom at being denied a seventh win. But the mood will be improved with a win on Tuesday as Scotland take on Austria for the third time in just over a year. The Austrians were having their World Cup hopes extinguished in Cardiff at the same time as Scotland were drawing with Poland in Glasgow.
Adams believes the disappointment in the home dressing-room at Hampden after being pegged back following an injury-time penalty was further proof of how far Scotland have come. “A few months ago we would have snatched your hand off for that result,” said Adams. “But to come away with a draw in a game like that, now it seems like a negative. But it’s not. It just shows you the leaps and bounds this team has come on.
“We’ve got great camaraderie in this team. Everyone knows their position and their jobs and we have great quality. We know what we can do and everyone can see that out on the pitch.
They can see how together we are and how demanding we are of each other.
“We know how much quality we have in this side and we were missing our captain as well. We have many positives to take from this match and we will take them into the matches in June. We know we can turn it on when we want to with the quality we have in this squad.
“We could have been a couple of goals up with the pressure we put them under in the first half. To come away with a draw is gutting but we have positives to take from the game.”
There is still plenty more football to be played this season. Adams’ cap total could be in the 20s by the time he enjoys a well-earned rest later this
summer. Scotland face a potential sixgame series in June if the Ukraine playoff goes ahead. It will prove an unprecedented international schedule for Scotland - six games in around three weeks.
“Itisgoingtobehard,”hesaid.“ithinkit will maybe be a minimum of five games. So, it’s going to be a long month but with the quality we have in this squad we can put on a show against anyone! It’s up to us now to see how far we want to take it.”
One player who might welcome such a busy schedule is wing back Nathan Patterson. He once again excelled on the right for Scotland on Thursday but hasn’t so far been able to break into the Everton first team. Adams sympathises with the teenager’s plight.
“I can imagine it’s hard for him," said the Southampton player. "But with the quality he has got he can spark the game at any time,” he said. “He did that in the first half. He probably got tired towards the end but we have a good squad.
“It just takes time and he is still young and still raw. He’s still learning his game and he’s got a good manager in Frank Lampard and he’s in a good squad. I think he can only get better.”