STRACHAN MAY NEED TO MAKE SOME TOUGH LOVE CALLS

AN innate sense of loyalty has been one of Gordon St r a c h a n ’s enduring strengths as a manager but in Georgia on Friday night, that virtue began to resemble a flaw.

There was logic in the national coach’s team selection in Tbilisi, a line-up that leaned heavily on the players who had pieced together an impressive Euro 2016 qualification campaign over the past year.

Equally, the side looked top heavy on players who have endured unconvincing starts to their domestic seasons.

In the sticky heat of the Georgian capital, a leg-weary Scotland conspired to produce their most sluggish performance at the very point when victory was needed most.

There is no doubt that Steven Fletcher remains the squad’s most capable all-round striker but with only one start and one goal for Sunderland this season, the 28-yearold is far from peak form.

Part of the most compelling argument for his continued inclusion stems from the fact Strachan views the attacking midfielders who operate behind the lone frontman as his main source of goals.

Fletcher remains Scotland’s best link man but i n those deeper positions, there is also a common theme of club frustration.

Of the three who started in the Boris Paichadze Stadium, only Watford’s Ikechi Anya has been starting regularly for his club, while Steven Naismith has been relegated to the role of substitute at Everton and Shaun Maloney has just completed a transfer to Hull City after a brief and unproductive stint at MLS outfit Chicago Fire.

Strachan has conceded he may tweak his team for tomorrow night’s clash with Germany at Hampden and, with Anya and Naismith having toiled in Tbilisi, it would be no surprise to see James Morrison pushed further forward or Celtic winger James Forrest feature to add an extra dimension in the final third.

Morrison partnered Scott Brown in the holding midfield roles on Friday and the captain’s strained performance suggested a player who is not operating at full fitness.

At Ibrox a year earlier, Brown revelled in bossing his Georgian counterpart Jaba Kankava with a combative display that verged on bullying. On Friday, the roles were reversed.

With Celtic, Brown sets the tone and when he is not at his best, the team’s overall performance level dips — which was evident in the Champions League defeat to Malmo. Brown has not looked himself this season and hobbled out of his club’s league fixture against St Johnstone last weekend.

He stuck out the 90 minutes in Tbilisi and, speaking afterwards, dismissed the notion that he is in need of a rest.

He said: ‘I don’t know if the gaffer will make changes, that’s up to him. You get used to the travelling and the games. We play about 65 a season these days.

‘You need to keep going. There is no burnout in football now. We still feel fit and sharp and we are ready to go again against Germany.’

While in charge of Celtic, Strachan once joked that Brown would play with a broken leg. If the player is hard-wired to carry on regardless, then at some point it becomes incumbent on his manager to make the call.

During Friday’s aftermath, Strachan acknowledged that he would need to assess the energy levels of his players before firming up a plan for Germany, but his admiration for Brown’s fortitude again rose to the surface.

‘We had plenty of time on the plane to gather information from the medical staff on where we are and what we are going to do,’ Strachan explained.

‘Some footballers, maybe not ours, think tiredness is a problem these days, but some like our captain think that is part and parcel of the game.

‘He got carried off last week, played this week and never missed a training session either.’

While there is no obvious alternative to Fletcher in attack (Leigh Griffiths is an entirely different type of striker), Strachan is at least blessed with strong options for central midfield if he decides to rest Brown, move Morrison or perhaps do both.

Darren Fletcher’s big-game experience with both the national team and Manchester United makes him the most obvious choice to come in and the 31-year-old is also playing continuously at West Brom.

There is also a case to be made for James McArthur, who has been an important cog in Crystal Palace’s impressive start to the season.

Asides from personnel choices, there are also mental issues to be addressed ahead of tomorrow night’s game.

‘You have to deal with that disappointment,’ admitted Strachan. ‘We have to all do it together. The coaches, the supporters, everybody who wants us to do well, it’s a good time to help us.’

The Scotland manager has shown admirable faith in this team. Perhaps it is now time for a little tough love.