Over the summer, Steve must find a case for the defence
The stats don’t lie.
With the quick-fire round of internationals now at an end, Scotland have barely scraped a pass mark.
Played four, won two, lost two, with seven goals scored and the same conceded.
It was not what Steve Clarke had hoped for.
The final act, a 4-1 win away from home, is not to be sniffed at in any international, even allowing for the fact Armenia helped considerably by getting two players sent off.
At the same time, the fragility of the defence – Craig Gordon aside – remains a major issue, and it is here the national manager has his work cut out.
Grant Hanley’s confidence looks completely shot, with Armenia’s early goal a case in point.
Jack Hendry, who always looks as if he has a mistake in him, has the capacity to end up the same way.
And for all the credit Scott Mctominay deserves for his willingness to play at the back, his positional uncertainty pushes the case for him to be used solely where he plays for Manchester United, in midfield.
The good news for Clarke is that by the time September rolls around, things could look very different.
Kieran Tierney, who some now believe to be Scotland’s best player, should be back and firing for Arsenal again.
Nottingham Forest’s promotion means Scott Mckenna will also be playing in England’s top flight.
By all accounts, a stand-out in the Championship, he could potentially flourish even more for the experience of having to play regularly against some of the world’s best forwards.
Similarly, John Souttar’s switch to Ibrox should give him more extended experience of European football at club level that can only help in the international arena.
At 25 years old, the same age as Tierney and Mckenna, he fits perfectly the required profile, in that he is experienced but has still to reach the peak of his career.
With captain Andy Robertson plus two even younger ones – Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson – all certain to be part of the group going forward, the raw material is there.
What the manager will aim to do – and here there is a danger of being too hung up on formation – is settle on a defensive group who have confidence in themselves, and in each other.
Achieve that, and everything else should, hopefully, fall into place.