McGINN’S LATE CAMEO AT HAMPDEN IS PROOF THAT SUBSTITUTES CAN HAVE VITAL ROLE IN FRIENDLIES
ALEX McLEISH wanted to test out a new Anglo axis in midfield but it fell upon the local lads to shift Scotland out of second gear. For much of Friday night, being at Hampden felt like a chore as Costa Rica grabbed the initiative and put McLeish’s experimental team behind with a slick first-half goal.
As a general rule of thumb, the entertainment value of an international friendly starts to nosedive the minute the coaches start the inevitable flurry of substitutions but in McLeish’s case the opposite held true, as Celtic’s Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong added verve to a team that was treading water.
The coach’s new 3-4-3 formation was designed to accommodate Liverpool’s Andy Robertson in a wing-back role on the left, and also give a platform to Manchester United’s Scott McTominay in central midfield.
McLeish’s desire to blood the 21-year-old so soon after his breakthrough at Old Trafford was understandable but, with Kevin McDonald alongside him as a second anchor, the midfield looked bottom heavy.
Watched by club boss Jose Mourinho, McTominay did fine and it would have been intemperate to expect too much from a player who, like Darren Fletcher before him, is principally a sitter.
McDonald also operates as a screener for Fulham in a perfectly
balanced central three that also includes Tom Cairney and ex-Celt Stefan Johansen. Cairney also got the nod against Costa Rica but looked a fish out of water in a role that nominally saw him placed on the right of a front three.
Denied the freedom to rove and without the energy of a Johansen as a foil, he looked lost and joined McTominay in being substituted before the hour.
The introduction of McGregor and Armstrong palpably lifted Scotland. Injury has disrupted Armstrong’s club season but he was willing to take the ball and drive Scotland forward and McGregor created the nation’s best chance of the night with a perfectly-weighted through-ball for Matt Ritchie.
Joining them for the final ten minutes was Hibs’ John McGinn, arguably the most dynamic of all the central midfielders available to the Scotland boss.
‘The manager touched on it at half-time,’ said McGinn. ‘There needed to be a lot more urgency and tempo and we needed to cause them a lot more problems.
‘It was like a friendly in the first half — and we said beforehand we weren’t going to treat it like one.
‘In the second half, you saw the energy that Stu and Cal brought and I tried to do the same in the time when I was on.
‘We’ve played a few times together and it just felt quite natural.
‘We’ve got a lot of energy and we try to get on the ball and make things happen.
‘We are all different players. Cal picks a brilliant final ball, Stu is all energy and tidy on the ball and I am a bit more unorthodox but I feel as if I can influence the game.
‘I tried to do that when I came on and I was a bit frustrated when the final whistle went. ‘It was a pretty flat night.’ All things considered, the 1-0 defeat was no great surprise.
Costa Rica not only sit six places above Scotland in the FIFA rankings, they made the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and will again be present as the tournament unfolds in Russia this summer.
It’s two decades since Scotland graced the same stage and McLeish has pleaded for patience as he grapples with the job for the second time.
Having named no fewer than 11 midfielders in his initial squad, it’s no surprise the national coach struggled to find the right blend at the first attempt and it’s likely he will try something different for part two of the double-header against Hungary on Tuesday night. McGinn is eager to start. He continued: ‘At the end of the day, it is up to the manager. He wants to see what other options are out there and we respect that. That’s what the friendlies are for.
‘I am just champing at the bit and waiting for the manager to select me and everyone else is the same.
‘In those ten minutes I just wanted to make an impression.
‘I did a couple of good things, and a couple of not so good things!
‘That’s my sixth cap now and hopefully on Tuesday I’ll get a longer run out. I feel as if I am playing the best football of my career, so I am looking forward to trying to put that into practice.’
Although McGinn may be bang in form for Hibs, he is far from the most refined midfielder available to McLeish.
His combative style immediately earned him a ticking off from referee Tobias Stieler at Hampden and gave cause for reflection post-match.
At 23, McGinn has time to learn, although talk of him assuming the captain’s role vacated by the retired Scott Brown seems wholly premature.
‘As I went on, Faddy (coach James McFadden) told me just to go and play the way I play and try to not change,’ he mused.
‘Obviously I might have to tailor it a little bit and the manager did mention that to me at the end.
‘I was pulled up but a couple of those challenges were not fouls, I was just trying to get in their faces and get a bit of urgency but that’s
I was trying to get in their faces but I will now have to learn from that
international football these days. I don’t think they have backsides like mine in Germany. That’s what refs are like. It’s not the same as Scottish football, where sometimes they will let that ride. It’s something I need to learn from.
‘Opponents know how to get the fouls and it’s gone against me a couple of times. I will know better for Tuesday and games coming up.’
McGinn was highly rated by Gordon Strachan but was always on the fringes under McLeish’s predecessor.
Criticism has already come McLeish’s way after Friday and more will follow should he suffer another poor result in Budapest.
Quite correctly McGinn points out that the time for experimentation and making mistakes is now.
A little flak will seem a small price to pay if a winning formula that carries the nation to Euro 2020 can be established. ‘Everything has been new this week,’ he added. ‘These things take time and I think it’s important we remember that.
‘Previously we didn’t take the opportunity to play these friendlies. But there are a lot of new players and it’s important we take the chance to look at them.
‘Oli McBurnie and big Scott McKenna were excellent against Costa Rica. We can take positives like that, the training has been good — it’s been sharp and enjoyable.
‘Over the past few seasons we have tried things that have not worked.
‘We tried something different on Friday and the manager might try something different again on Tuesday.
‘I think everyone will agree that it doesn’t matter how we get to an international tournament. We are going to do whatever it takes. Whether that is working on something strange or different to everyone else we are prepared to do that. I can’t remember the last time we were at a tournament — I was too young.
‘We know how much it means to the supporters to get that success that everyone is craving.
‘As footballers, you pride yourself as being successful and you don’t want to be tarred with the same brush as previous campaigns.’
For McGinn there will also be some family motivation for securing a good result in Hungary.
‘My uncle moved over there for work last year,’ he added.
‘He’s in Sopron, so with work it’s too far for him to get to the game.
‘His kids are half-Hungarian, so I think he’ll take a 2-2 draw right now!’