Dykes could now be left in the shadows
HE wasn’t in the squad but his face was on the front of the match programme and his name was still on the minds of the Tartan Army.
Sidelined with a muscle strain, Lyndon Dykes’ absence last night was always likely to be instructive in one sense.
A week previously, with the Queens Park Rangers man leading the line against Ukraine, Steve Clarke’s side were guilty of forgetting the principles that had been the cornerstones of a fine eight-game unbeaten run.
Invariably lumping the ball long, they played straight into Ukraine’s hands. Their performance got all it deserved. A ticket to Qatar fed to the shredder.
You could hardly blame Dykes solely for such shortcomings. He’s been a real find for Clarke, a useful player to have around the squad, without question.
But does his presence potentially cause as many problems as it solves? He was also missing against Denmark in November when Scotland produced their best display in living memory.
Last night’s routine win against Armenia was nowhere near that level but it did signal a welcome return to the ball being passed through the midfield and intelligent probing in the final third.
This ought to be the template going forward. And if that means that Dykes finds himself on the fringes of the squad from here on, then so be it.
The plain fact is that Scotland were better when he came off at half-time last week and they were better without him last night.
This was much more like it. The team played with a tempo and hunger which ensured that Armenia were overwhelmed.
After such a fall from grace, we are back on the horse. Credit to Clarke and his players, then, for putting such a savage blow behind them and starting the Nations League campaign with a solid victory. The true importance of it may only become apparent in the fullness of time.
It wasn’t just the unwelcome June drizzle which made the occasion feel rather downbeat until some unlikely heroes stepped forward.
One week on from a truly desperate night, this was very much a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show. As welcome as the introduction of the Nations League has been from Scotland’s perspective, it is no World Cup.
Clarke attempted to lift the mood with a string of changes and a tweaking of his formation. It worked a treat. From the first whistle there was far more zest and rhythm about the side. Passing was on point. The movement was intelligent. Armenia were forced into mistakes. Notwithstanding the modest level of opponent, it was a big improvement on seven days previously.
On his first start for his country, Anthony Ralston looked lively and menacing. An early cross from the Celtic man saw Stuart Armstrong — another of the six changes — clip the post.
With Armenia penned in, Andy Robertson flashed a drive wide of the far post before Jack Hendry headed into the keeper’s arms.
What to make of Armenia? Despite their shock opening-day victory over Ireland on Saturday, they were every bit as limited as you’d expect from a nation sitting 92nd in the FIFA rankings. Some 3,300 miles from home and without the advantage of Yerevan’s searing heat, they set up looking to limit the damage as opposed to trying to cause some of their own.
Sargis Adamyan, their striker, was frequently found loitering 30 yards from his own goal. It did not make for an engrossing spectacle but that was not the reason they were in town.
The concern, as the half-hour mark approached, was that the bright start had tapered off a little. Ralston’s first international goal could not have been more timely.
His header back across goal was textbook. He skipped away in celebration, his smile as broad as the Clyde, the latest chapter in his remarkable personal story this season etched.
Scott McKenna’s hasn’t been too shabby, either. Man of the match as Nottingham Forest beat Huddersfield to win promotion to the Premier League, his clean connection onto John McGinn’s corner also brought his first international goal and ended the game as a contest.
On another night, Scotland’s territorial advantage might have brought a barrage of goals but it’s rarely that simple against an opponent showing zero ambition.
Next stop Dublin. Win there and in Armenia on Tuesday and it’s as good as a two-way fight with Ukraine for top spot in the group. The fervent hope is that a smarter approach from now on will bring a different outcome.