Prior to Scotland’s friendly draw with Poland at Hampden on Thursday night there was a predictable clamour for Ryan Jack, now back to full fitness with theRangers, to return to the starting line-up for his national team.
Thankfully Steve Clarke recognises the partnership developing in Scotland’s midfield has been key to an upturn in form, and the Scotland manager ignored the calls for Jack to start against the Poles and instead allowed a midfield partnership of Celtic captain Callum McGregor and Billy Gilmour – with John McGinn having the licence to play an advanced attacking role – to develop still further as Scotland build towards what will hopefully be a first appearance at a World Cup finals since 1998.
McGregor and Gilmour, both gifted footballers, with excellent energy and creativity, offer a Scotland midfield at long last the chance to be as tactically and technically skilled as the opponents they come up against on international duty.
For too long Scotland has looked upon itself as technically inferior, particularly in the midfield, and have sought to stop the opposition rather than attempt to gain control of the most vital area of the pitch when it comes to imposing your game on that of the opposition.
Whilst there will always be room for a player like Jack in a Scotland squad and for certain games or moments in matches, the emergence of a blossoming partnership between McGregor and Gilmour cannot be discarded to gain some element of physicality at the expense of those more technically proficient, and it’s something Steve Clarke, as reported in Football Scotland certainly seems to recognise –
“Billy and Callum are two really good footballers on the ball. We always try to play anyway, that’s what we have always tried to do. But when you have two players like that in midfield you have to give them the ball otherwise there’s no point in playing them.”
Scotland await a play-off encounter with Ukraine, now postponed until June. And depending on whether Scotland are able to play the game, something it must be said looks increasingly unlikely, then a trip to Wales for a one-off game to decide who goes to the Qatar World Cup at the end of the year looks probable.
Such a game against Wales will require a hell of an effort from Scotland to qualify, but with a midfield three of McGregor, Gilmour and McGinn Scotland would be giving themselves every chance of matching Wales in midfield and imposing our game on the opposition rather than simply trying to stop the opposition.
Scotland and McGregor now head to Austria for a friendly game on Tuesday night, for what is likely to be the last match before the World Cup play-offs begin, and it makes sense to allow McGregor and Gimlour a further chance to build their burgeoning partnership, and one that could be key to Scotland’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
Niall J
