International break of fers respite to struggling Scots stars
NORMALLY, there is a lot of hype and optimism at the beginning of a new qualifying campaign. Yet, looking at the start of the road to Euro 2024, there was perhaps more positivity a few years back in terms of Scotland’s big players starring for their clubs.
The likes of Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and Kieran Tierney are not facing the easiest time of their careers right now. However, when you are going through a difficult patch with your club, sometimes it’s good to have something else to look forward to.
Perhaps if you are away with your national side, you will get a game and you will get away from any difficulties. That can be a good thing.
I remember at Fiorentina when it went downhill in the second half of the season and we ended up being relegated. Going away with Denmark was a good way to escape pressures at club level.
Also, when I didn’t play as much as I would have liked at AC Milan, I wanted to go back to play for Denmark and prove some people wrong. I also wanted to pay the manager back for showing faith in me and picking me when I wasn’t playing week in, week out.
Those Scotland players have not played as much as they would like but they will all be determined to show Steve Clarke and the Scottish crowds that they’re still up to the challenge.
They have a future to play for, as well. That can be very positive ahead of the two qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain.
Of course, a manager wants his players to be playing well every week. But you have to be realistic, as well, and some of these Scotland players are at top, top teams.
Tierney is at Arsenal and not featuring as much due to Oleksandr Zinchenko arriving and playing such a dominant role this season.
McTominay (right) is not playing as regularly at Manchester United because they bought players like Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
But these players are still in good shape and it’s only two games Scotland have this month that they have to cope with. If they are shown trust by their manager, that can lift them to another level. You can’t do that if it’s too many players. Six or seven starters would perhaps be a problem but three or four you could cope with. Ryan Fraser has been frozen out at Newcastle and that makes it difficult for Clarke to use him. But it’s good for Scotland that key players like Andy Robertson at Liverpool and Aston Villa’s John McGinn are playing well. McGinn gives so much in midfield and going forward for Scotland, while Robertson played so well in Liverpool’s 7-0 win over Manchester United. Hopefully, he can take that momentum into the international doubleheader. Robertson’s energy and attitude will be so important for Scotland. The first game is against Cyprus at Hampden and you need to get off to a good start before hosting Spain. Whatever Scotland get from the game against Spain is a bonus but if you don’t get points in the early part of qualifying, you will be struggling later on.
Scotland also have Norway in their qualifying group and they are a strange team. They haven’t qualified for the Euros or World Cup for years and people in Norway are fed up. But look at their players they have in Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard.
After signing permanently for Arsenal, Odegaard has become, at 24, one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
I believe that could also happen for Gilmour, despite his current problems. Billy is 21 and needs to be playing as much as possible.
He struggled on loan at Norwich City last season and after moving to Brighton last summer, he has struggled to get into a team that is having a very good season.
That can become a problem. People could look and say: ‘Billy Gilmour? Yes, he’s a tremendous player but does he have what it takes?’
That would be a shame because I think he is a fantastic player and he always makes a difference when he plays for Scotland.
Next season is going to be very important for him because if he’s still not a starter at Brighton, then it becomes a problem.
He needs playing time to get momentum and experience. He’s not had that for two years. I hope he can solve that because he has a bright future.
The difference with Odegaard is that, after he signed for Real Madrid in 2015, whenever he was sent out on loan, he always played.
Wherever he went, with Heerenveen or Vitesse in the Netherlands or Real Sociedad in Spain, he got regular game time. That set him up for a club like Arsenal and he’s now at the heart of a team challenging to win the Premier League. Likewise, Gilmour needs to play as often as possible because I believe he’s also a player who should be playing for titles.