WE’LL BLOW MID-LEVEL NATIONS AWAY IF WE PLAY LIKE THAT, SAYS MACKAY
Anyone who was at Pittodrie, saw a team that matched Holland
MALKY MACKAY has hiked up hopes of reaching Euro 2020 by insisting that Scotland would ‘blow away’ mid-level UEFA opposition by replicating the friendly performance in defeat to Holland.
Unlike the World Cup, which has forced group runners-up to contest play-offs, the top two countries from each of the 10 sections will automatically reach the European finals.
Mackay won’t be the man doing the steering through that process.
But if his belief in the group he began to mould last week comes good, then he’s convinced Scotland will have the beating of their qualification rivals.
Mackay said: ‘We have young players coming through who have got a good touch and, by God, is it time.
‘We need that to play against a top European team.
‘But if we are going to qualify, we need to go and play against mid-level European clubs and beat them.
‘And if we play like that against mid-level European nations, then we will blow them away if we keep shifting the ball like
that and being as athletic as that. That’s my view of how we should be going forward and I’d love for that to be how it is going forward.
‘Against Holland, we looked a team that could run a team off the pitch and that’s the way we need to be.
‘But we also had to be tactical and have technical ability.
‘I love the look of that now and anybody who was at Pittodrie, if nothing else, saw a
team that matched Holland.
‘How we looked in possession and our athleticism were big things as well.’
SFA chief executive Stewart Regan revealed on radio on the afternoon of Mackay’s caretaker match in charge, that he wasn’t a runner for the permanent job.
Mackay was unaware that announcement was in the offing, though, as he prepared the squad for action.
He accepts, however, that particularly in the aftermath of Brian McClair’s 13-month spell in the SFA performance director role — his bosses were keen for continuity in that department.
‘I was proud to be given the performance director’s job and I work hard just like everyone else,’ said Mackay.
‘I have a job there that, I suppose, the last performance director wasn’t in place at for very long.
‘And they need somebody that’s going to have a bit of stability attached to this role.’