SCOTLAND MANAGER STEVE CLARKE MUST USE THE UPCOMING THREE FIXTURES TO ADDRESS ISSUES FACING HIS TEAM AHEAD OF EURO 2020.
THE NATIONAL SIDE PLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER FOUR MONTHS THIS EVENING AS THEY OPEN THEIR WORLD CUP QUALIFYING CAMPAIGN AGAINST AUSTRIA AND WHILST QATAR 2022 WILL BE AT THE FRONT OF EVERYONE’S MIND, PREPPING FOR THE EURO’S MUST STILL BE THE MAIN FOCUS.
SCOTLAND WILL PLAY IN THEIR FIRST MALE MAJOR TOURNAMENT FOR 23 YEARS IN UNDER THREE MONTHS AND THIS IS THE LAST TIME CLARKE WILL SEE ANY OF HIS PLAYERS BEFORE HE ANNOUNCES HIS FINAL 23 MAN SQUAD AT THE END OF MAY.
THE RECENT SUCCESS OF THE 5-3-2 FORMATION CONFIRMS IT AS CLARKE’S FIRST CHOICE TACTIC, BUT THERE ARE AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY.
THE FORMER KILLIE BOSS CALLED CHE ADAMS COMMITMENT TO SCOTLAND A ‘GOOD PROBLEM’, WITH THE SOUTHAMPTON PLAYER REGULARLY STARTING AND SCORING IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE AS PART OF A FRONT DUO WITH DANNY INGS.
WE MUST FIND OUT HOW HE WOULD WORK IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH TARGET MAN LYNDON DYKES. ADAMS HAS PACE, WHICH THE ATTACK DOES LACK, BUT WILL HE BE PREFERRED TO THE OUT OF FORM RYAN CHRISTIE AND RYAN FRASER?
THE FINAL FORWARD SLOT HAS BEEN HANDED TO KEVIN NISBET, WHO WILL BE GIVEN HIS CHANCE IN ONE OF THE THREE MATCHES. LEIGH GRIFFITHS, OLI BURKE AND LAWRENCE SHANKLAND ALL NOW FACE AN UPHILL TASK TO MAKE THE SUMMER SQUAD.
THE DEFENSIVE TRIO OF SCOTT McTOMINAY, DECLAN GALLAGHER AND KIERAN TIERNEY WORKED TO GREAT EFFECT IN 2020 BUT THE IMPRESSIVE FORM OF McTOMINAY FOR MANCHESTER UNITED SHOULD FORCE CLARKE’S HAND TO USE HIM FURTHER FORWARD.
RYAN JACK’S INJURY MEANS THERE IS A SLOT IN THERE, WHILST STUART ARMSTRONG, WHO HAS BEEN IN FINE FORM, WILL ALSO BE DESPERATE TO MAKE IT INTO THE STARTING XI.
A MIDFIELD OF McTOMINAY, ARMSTRONG & JOHN McGINN IS THE BEST WE HAVE ON PAPER AND SHOULD BE TRIALED, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD MEAN THE OMISSION OF STALWART CALLUM McGREGOR.
ALSO, IF McTOMINAY DOES MOVE FORWARD, CLARKE WILL NEED A BALL PLAYING CENTRE HALF ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE WHO CAN PROGRESS THE FOOTBALL FORWARD.
STEP FORWARD JACK HENDRY, THE 25 YEAR OLD WHO WAS SIGNED BY CELTIC FOR HIS ABILITY ON THE BALL, BEFORE FALLING OUT OF FAVOUR AND REBUILDING HIS CAREER IN BELGIUM.
GRANT HANLEY HAS ALSO RETURNED AFTER A 3 YEAR ABSENCE WITH INJURY. CLARKE IS A BIG FAN OF HIS AND HE WILL PROVIDE COMPETITION WITH GALLAGHER FOR THE CENTRE STARTING SPOT.
WITH PLAN A IN PLACE, CLARKE MUST NOW ALSO FIND A PLAN B, BEFORE THE CHAMPIONSHIPS START.
THE GAME AT HOME VS THE FAROE ISLANDS IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS, WHERE A FOUR AT THE BACK FORMATION MUST BE USED.
THIS WOULD ALLOW MORE MIDFIELDERS, OUR STRONGEST POSITION, AND ANOTHER FORWARD, WHILST LOSING A CENTRE HALF.
THE ETERNAL QUESTION WILL BE ASKED THOUGH, AS TIERNEY AND CAPTAIN ANDY ROBERTSON BOTH VIE FOR THE LEFT BACK SPOT. TIERNEY SHOULD BE USED AS A LEFT CENTRE HALF INSTEAD OF BEING SACRIFICED ENTIRELY.
DAVID TURNBULL AND NATHAN PATTERSON WERE TWO YOUNGSTERS WHOSE PERFORMANCES OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE MORE THAN MERITED INCLUSION.
TURNBULL HAS BEEN CELTIC’S BEST PLAYER IN A DISMAL SEASON AND PROVIDES SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WHILST BEING A RELATIVE UNKNOWN TO POTENTIAL OPPONENTS.
PATTERSON IS RAW BUT OUR OPTIONS AT RIGHT WING BACK ARE THE WEAKEST IN THE SQUAD AND HE WOULD PROVIDE A MORE ATTACKING THREAT.
EXPECT BOTH PLAYERS TO MISS THE EUROS NOW BUT TO PLAY A HUGE ROLE OVER THE NEXT DECADE.
AS CLARKE SETS HIS SIGHT ON THE UPCOMING WINTER WORLD CUP, HE MUST PLAY THE PERFECT BALANCING ACT BETWEEN SECURING RESULTS NOW AND TWEAKING HIS FORMULA SO IT IS READY TO GO AT EURO 2020.
