Erin Cuthbert has declared herself fit and available as Scotland look to recover some pride after their 4-0 defeat against The Netherlands on Friday night.
It is the turn of Pedro Martinez Losa’s side to host the Dutch at Hampden as they aim to produce a performance to suggest they have learned something from the harrowing nature of Friday’s experience.
To that end, the return if the industrious and effervescent Cuthbert could be ket. The 25-year-old midfielder has missed all three Nations Leagues games because of injury with her availability all the more important given the absence of Caroline Weir, Sam Kerr and Emma Watson. Weir in particular is a huge loss for Scotland to contend with but Cuthbert’s experience at World Cup and European Championship level will be pivotal for Scotland.
“It is weird, Caroline not being here, but I don’t feel any pressure,” she said. “I am here to add any little bits I can to the squad and to help. Just being back around my Scottish mates, I honestly love it, just to being able to talk Scottish unapologetically without everyone in London saying, ‘huh?’ The camaraderie of being back with my pals is good and I don’t feel any extra pressure.
“It is small details. Even Friday game’s is small moments. We know we can do a lot better. I remember coming in on my second cap and we lost 7-0 to The Netherlands. I know what it is like to play them and feel with your backs against the wall but you need to stay in the game.”
Cuthbert took part in the debrief after Friday night as the squad watched the game back. She hooked up with the squad on Saturday and wasn’t slow in offering her own perspective from what she was forced to witness from the sofa.
“Everyone knows we were half a yard off,” she said. “We are looking for a reaction now. We pride ourselves that we make ourselves difficult to beat. We are known for getting stuck in and being physical and we should never lose sight of that. That for me is the fundamental of Scotland and who we are.
“I don’t feel any nerves when I play football but when I am on the sidelines and I can’t control anything, I am a mess. We need to be brave and not panic. We need to instil that confidence in one another.
“We all had a discussion and I won’t shy away from things. I am the first to put my hand up when I make a mistake but I expect the same standard from everyone else. The girls already know. They have a dressing room full of international experience. They know that was not good enough. They don’t need anyone to tell them that they weren’t at the level that is expected from a national team.”
And the Chelsea midfielder is itching to make her mark at Hampden after watching impotently from the sidelines.
“It was terribly frustrating,” she said. “I was kicking every ball on Friday,” she said. “I think when you have time out you are even more eager to make an impression when you come back and I have come back with the bit between my teeth. The last three games I have watched from my own sofa which is difficult because I have always been used to being in camp. I have not enjoyed it.”
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