Callum McGregor far from being the only under-performer in Munich

Criticism of Calmac is warranted, but what about the likes of McGinn and Robertson?…

Callum McGregor has taken the brunt of criticism for last night’s drubbing at the hands of Germany, and deservedly so.  He’s an experienced player who didn’t play to his full potential as we put up a lacklustre display against a talented German side.

But he wasn’t alone in his failings. The likes of John McGinn and our skipper Andy Robertson were as equally poor and disappointing. Both McGinn and Robertson are playing for top four sides in the so called best league in the world.

Robertson is a Champions League and EPL winner as well as being a vital player in a talented Liverpool side. While McGinn is an important player in an impressive Aston Villa side who qualified for next season’s Champions League ahead of the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham.

Andrew Robertson embraces Stephen Clarke  after defeat to Germany during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Germany and Scotland at Munich Football Arena on June 14, 2024 . (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Both players are looked upon as ‘superstars’ of this Scotland side yet like Callum McGregor, they  didn’t show their talent on the biggest stage.

That to me is very disappointing as they are two players who you’d expect to show their class and experience against world class players. They play often enough against similar players at club level so they should have looked more comfortable against players of that calibre.

Callum deserves to be criticised, but so do the likes of McGinn and Robertson, and many others, wouldn’t you agree?

In the players’ defence the crazy system that Scotland employed did them do favours at all and it’s remarkable that it wasn’t changed as it was clear that the German side was able to exploit the gaps and the ample space.

If Scotland is to progress then we’ll need to change this for midweek because you can bet your last dollar that both Switzerland and Hungary will be looking at last night’s Scotland set-up and planning to exploit it in exactly the same way.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor David Faulds has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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