All to play for as Euro 2024 hopefuls look to stake claim
As John Carver stressed on Tuesday when he sat down to deliver his squad update before the upcoming preeuro 2024 friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland: the countdown is firmly on.
The Scotland assistant manager has felt an acute sense of the growing excitement in boardrooms up and down the country as he travels from game-to-game checking on players.
Officials are presumably fishing to find out one thing: doesso-and-sohaveachance? Will our player(s) be on the plane? There are financial implications of course – Uefa issue payments to clubs for agreeing to release players for the tournament. But mostly it is about status.
All clubs want to be represented by as many players as possible at such a high-profile event. There are 24 players in the current squad, with Grant Hanleyhavingwithdrawndue to an ankle injury. Fellow centre-half Scott Mckenna also sat out of training on Tuesday.
Only 23 can go to Germany. There will be one player – at least–outofthecurrentsquad who will have to suffer grave disappointment.steveclarke, above, is not going to take four goalkeepers to Germany – so one out of Craig Gordon, Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly and Zander Clark will need to be cut, although there is always a possibility that an injury might make Clarke’s decision for him.
Others will also suspect they may have to do something very special to book their seat on the plane because they will be alert to the fact that space needs to be found for Callum Mcgregor,celtic’sinspirational skipper, and Aaron Hickey, providing he can prove his fitness in time. Ryan Jack is also angling for a place. He, too, is injured.
So the pressure will be on some of those handed jerseys at the Johan Cruyff Stadium tomorrow night, where Scotland take on the Netherlands in the first of four games preeuro 2024.
The final friendly, against Finland, takes place on June 7 at Hampden and doubles as a send-off event. It is possible players might be cut from Clarke’s plans at late as following that match, with Scotland required to be at their base in Germany by June 9 – five days beforetheykick-offthetournamentagainstthehostcountry.
Carver has already stated that the time for significant experimentation is over. As for those players not currently with the squad, the clock, he added, was ticking. Similarly, no one will be parachuted in, persuaded to switch eligibility, from England to Scotland for example, by the carrot of a chancetoplayatamajorfinals. So no Harvey Barnes.
It’s probably wise for the Scotland management team to get this message out now. Those currently involved at least know they will not be the victim of a mugging further down the line because someone quite fancies a bit of the Euros action.
Soalltoplayfor,then,tomorrow and Tuesday, when Michaelo’neill’snorthernirelandaredueathampden.and here’s my team to face Ronald Koeman’s side in the first of these fixtures later this week.
Steve Clarke is not going to take four goalkeepers so one will need to be cut