WHAT is that old saying about lies, damned lies and statistics again?
The cruel defeat which Scotland suffered at the hands of Croatia in their third Nations League match in Zagreb on Saturday evening after having an injury time goal chalked off by VAR might have seen their winless run in competitive fixtures continue.
The national team have not triumphed in a meaningful game since they thrashed Cyprus 3-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Larnaca way back in September last year.
They have now, if you include the dead rubbers against Georgia away and Norway at home at the end of that successful campaign, not prevailed in a match that mattered in nine outings.
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Steve Clarke’s men have recorded just one triumph in their last 15 run outs – the 2-0 win over minnows Gibraltar in a friendly in Faro in June before they headed off to Germany.
They are rooted to the bottom of League A Group 1 after three outings and have their work cut out avoiding relegation to League B next month.
Disaster for Scotland? Clarke must go? F*** the SFA? Not really. The all-round performance by the visitors in the Maksimir Stadium at the weekend was impressive and gave the Tartan Army footsoldiers who had made the journey out grounds for optimism about the future.
Few fans gave them much hope of prevailing against the Russia 2018 finalists given the raft of players who were sidelined by injury.
But Andy Robertson and his team mates were cheered and applauded off the park by their proud but bitterly disappointed compatriots in the stands after the final whistle had blown.
Can they give their supporters at victory to cheer at long last against Portugal tomorrow evening? Here are five things which Clarke could try to achieve that.
Bring in Adams
It was understandable that Clarke started with Lyndon Dykes up front against Croatia even though the Birmingham City striker has only scored once in the 2024/25 campaign and has still to net for the League One club he joined from Queens Park Rangers back in August.
The 6ft 2in forward gives Scotland at outball against opponents who dominate possession. He can both win and hold the ball up in the final third and bring those about him into play. He has also shown that he can score goals at international level
Dykes cut an isolated figure at times on Saturday night. He worked hard during his time on the park and did everything he possibly could to create an opening for his team mates with the limited service he received. But he is not operating at the level that he has in the past at the present moment in time.
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Clarke would be well advised to give Che Adams, who has been on target on no fewer than four occasions in Italy since moving to Serie A outfit Torino in the summer, a chance from kick-off tomorrow night. He made a definite difference when he came on in Zagreb and was unfortunate not to
Don’t drop Doak
Clarke has cautioned against expecting too much from Liverpool winger Ben Doak, who has been farmed out to Middlesbrough for the season, too soon.
But he had, with John McGinn not available and James Forrest also missing out due to slight knock, no hesitation handing the former Celtic kid his first start for Scotland against Croatia. The youngster didn’t let him or his country down.
He used his searing pace to good effect, looked a threat whenever he got on the ball and caused the hosts a few nervous moments when he moved into dangerous areas. He was by no means perfect. His final delivery left a little to be desired at times. But he will take huge confidence from his showing against formidable rivals.
Shore up the defence
Losing to Croatia by a 2-1 scoreline away is by no means a disgrace. But the softness of the goals which Scotland conceded was criminal. Igor Matanovic and Andrej Kramaric were both given far too much time and space in the penalty box before they beat Craig Gordon. Portugal must be closed down much quicker or they will run riot.
Change formation
The loss of Kieran Tierney to injury has seen Clarke change from a back three to a back four and it has had a positive impact on his side. Anthony Ralston, who is still not starting regularly for Celtic, seems far more comfortable in the system that he is used to at his club.
This may, though, be an opportune moment to play with a five man rearguard. Roberto Martinez has a wealth of talent at his disposal in attack. Seeking to contain the likes of Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, Francisco Trincao and Cristiano Ronaldo and hit on the counter might be the wisest strategy.
Freshen things up
Clarke is without Angus Gunn, Zander Clark, Scott McKenna, Tierney, Liam Cooper, Jack Hendry, Greg Taylor, Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson, Stuart Armstrong, Lewis Ferguson, McGinn, Tommy Conway and Lawrence Shankland for this important double header.
But he still has players who he can bring in to his starting line-up who can give Scotland a lift. Ryan Gauld, who has extensive experience of playing against Portuguese sides having lived there, did well when he came on at the weekend. How about giving him a chance from the start?
Would handing debuts to Jack McKenzie and Nicky Devlin of Aberdeen or Liam Lindsay of Preston in defence or Andy Irving of West Ham their debuts for their country be the worst idea? The opposition, who romped to a 3-1 win over Poland in Warsaw on Saturday, is certainly formidable. But asking exactly the same group of players to take to the field for the second time in four days could backfire.
