Adams can give Scots a real edge
TRYING to throw a curveball is virtually impossible when your opponent can read every trick, tick and tell in your make-up.
Israel and Scotland have developed an intimacy more akin to that of club rivals than international opponents over the past two-and-a-half years with no more than a goal separating them in five hard-fought meetings.
Little wonder Steve Clarke is giving serious consideration to starting Che Adams for the first time in Tel Aviv this evening.
Clarke would love to find an edge in a fixture that, even this early in the World Cup qualifiers, has a must-win look about it.
Adams debuted from the bench in Thursday’s opener against Austria, initially as foil for the hard-running Lyndon Dykes who looks a little worn down by the exertions of English
Championship football with Queen’s Park Rangers.
Not only does Adams operate at a higher club level with Southampton, he is also more prolific from open play having netted seven to Dykes’ two nonpenalty strikes for QPR.
He also scored in three consecutive Premier League fixtures against Sheffield United, Manchester City and Brighton earlier this month.
The 25-year-old’s power and movement would give Israel something new to think about Clarke was giving away little last night.
‘I’m tempted to throw Che in but Lyndon did well for us again the other night,’ he said. ‘He’s a good target player, gives us a good out, fits well into the way we play.
‘Ryan Christie was lively again, a little bit unlucky in the first half when he got the finish on his right foot. Young Kevin Nisbet has looked good in training, so we have good options.
‘It’s not about trying to surprise them, they’ll be able to second-guess what we’re doing much the same as we can second-guess them. It’s about small margins. All the games against them have been tight.
‘You have to learn to develop as a squad to stay calm, like we did against Austria on Thursday, and find a way back into the game if it goes against you.’
Dykes has scored twice in eight appearances since accepting Clarke’s invitation to join up with Scotland at the start of the season but looked a little leg-weary against the Austrians.
‘Lyndon’s a big, strong boy who’s physical and can get around,’ added Clarke. ‘He’s had a taste of the English Championship and QPR have rested him a couple of times recently, to be fair to them.
‘The load that the Championship puts on to players makes it a relentless league but he’s found his feet. He looked lively for us against Austria. His movement was good, his power and pace was there to be seen. If I had to play Lyndon in all three games, he could do it no problem.’
As well as Dykes has done, the team’s real goalscoring talisman is John McGinn, who popped up with an overhead-kick equaliser at Hampden in midweek.
Like a lot of what the Aston Villa man does, the execution of the strike off his left foot was a little unorthodox but he has been an effective attacking force for the Scots and has already accrued an impressive tally of eight goals in 30 appearances. Commonly used in a deep-lying role for his club, Clarke loves the range of possibilities the 26-year-old brings to his midfield.
‘John’s been playing that little bit deeper for most of the season with Villa and he gives you solidity in that role,’ said the Scotland boss.
‘But we don’t put the reins on John. He’s an attacking-midfield player and has an eye for goal.
‘He’s already scored eight times for his country and he’s still relatively young, so he can look forward to a few more goals.
‘Hopefully, he’ll get at least one more on Sunday.’
As impressive as McGinn’s goal return has been, the presence of Eran Zahavi in the Israeli ranks offers some perspective ahead of tonight’s match.
Zahavi netted 11 goals in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, a tally only bested by Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane, who both required penalties to inflate their numbers.
Yet as good as Zahavi is, Clarke does not want his presence to unsettle his players tonight.
Having punched up against second-seeds Austria on Thursday, Scotland are ranked a pot higher than tonight’s opposition.
If Clarke’s men are to be qualify for Qatar 2022, this is the sort of match they must win, no matter his efforts to talk down its significance.
‘You can never say the second game in a group is a must-win, not when there are so many points up for grabs, he said. ‘Austria play Denmark later in the week, so one of them, or both, will drop points.
‘It might not be apparent now but this will be a group with twists and turns.
‘The last few times we’ve been in Israel, we haven’t got the right result, so we try to do it properly this time and get the result.
‘We’re starting to build up a good experienced squad so that when we go to these places we should know what to expect.’
If he so chooses, Clarke has the means at his disposal to make Scotland less predictable.