Assessing Scotland’s International break

In my latest article, I’ll be reviewing Scotland’s International break and looking at how the national team got on this September. Let’s begin. 

The salient talking points regarding the squad were the inclusions of Nathan Patterson and Lewis Ferguson.  More so the right back as many were of the opinion Anthony Ralston should’ve been awarded his first call up after his stunning form for Celtic from the outset of the current campaign. During the camp, there were still alterations to the squad with players having to pull out through several issues such as injury and Covid. Ryan Fraser, Kenny McLean and Nathan Patterson all departed after the Moldova game. This strengthened the case for Anthony Ralston, or even Calvin Ramsay, to receive a call up but Steve Clarke elected to pick Paul McGinn to join the group. That’s all for the major talking points regarding the squad. Let’s continue on by looking at the results, performances and standout players. 

It shows how fickle Scottish football is when Steve Clarke was coming in for heavy criticism at the beginning of the International break yet six days later, he was being praised. 

Admittedly, Scotland didn’t commence this set of qualifiers in the greatest fashion. A 2-0 defeat in Copenhagen was an onerous setback. The first half of that match saw the Dane’s two goals scored in a frantic two minute period in the first half. In the second 45 though, Scotland managed to somewhat soften the blow and were unfortunate not to get back into the game. Joakim Mæhle ran the show for Denmark that night with a goal that finished off a sublime move. Scotland’s Ryan Fraser caught my eye last Wednesday, particularly after he was shifted to right wing back in the second half. As mentioned though, Fraser had to pull out due to suspected injury problems. 

Scotland went to Hampden on the Saturday night with the expectation for nothing but three points looming. Despite a lethargic, laboured and lacklustre display, the national team managed to prevail through a 14th minute Lyndon Dykes goal which was mainly manufactured by teenage full back sensation, Nathan Patterson. Scotland went on to spurn a number of quality chances later in the match and therefore couldn’t find the sought after second. Steve Clarke’s side though remained focused defensively throughout the night to limit the visitors, Moldova, to any chances of note. Moldova themselves didn’t have any players who stood out whereas for Scotland, there were a couple. Billy Gilmour was awarded man of the match and the afore mentioned Patterson was conspicuous down the right hand side. An Austrian slip up against Israel made Scotland’s final fixture of the International break even more crucial. 

A trip to Vienna was described as a “must not lose” game by midfielder Callum McGregor. This mentality was condemned by many a fan. Such criticisms may have been warranted but the Scots played as if it was a must win. Scotland were resolute in the opening stages although they didn’t come short of their own chances. The aggressive style of play that was employed seemed to work and Lyndon Dykes seized the moment to put Scotland ahead from the penalty spot half an hour in. Throughout the remainder of the encounter, Austria were the dominant side. Scotland did pose a threat on the counter attack and mustered a few chances but none that were clear cut. The visitors managed to stay rigid and see out the game for a mammoth three points. As you may have read from my player ratings, my man of the match was Jack Hendry. I felt he combined his silky, on the ball ability with no nonsense defending at times. Before he was subbed off, Lyndon Dykes was also outstanding. He didn’t back down from any challenges, held up the ball well and scored the winner. 

Player of the International break - Lyndon Dykes

The 25 year old was able to transform his distinguished club form this season on to the International stage. Dykes scored Scotland’s only two goals of the three games and looked comfortable when partnered with either of Kevin Nisbet or Che Adams. 

Six points out of a possible nine saw Scotland rise up the World Cup qualifying table and into second place, one point ahead of Israel and four ahead of Austria. This would mean a set of play offs, similar to the ones that seen Scotland qualify for Euro 2020, would stand in the way of the nation and a place at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The final four group games for Scotland are at home to Israel, away to the Faroe Islands, away to Moldova and finally at home to Denmark. In my opinion, three of these are winnable and should this happen a place in the afore mentioned play offs would be Scotland’s. 

Overall, this was an extremely successful International break for Scotland and Steve Clarke. Wins against Israel and Austria were undoubtedly pivotal. There is an enormous opportunity now for the Scots to make it back to back qualification for major tournaments. 

Thank you for reading this article. You can also read the Scotland Player Ratings on my blog from the Austria match by going to the home page and scrolling down. If you have any opinions, leave a comment down below and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog.