Scotland manager Pedro Martinez Losa has urged his players to focus only on the things they can control as they prepare for tonight’s contentious European Championship qualifier against Israel.
The game will be played behind closed doors, while Tuesday night’s game in the return tie in Budapest will also be played with no fans present.
There was a greater security presence that normal at Hampden yesterday for pre-match press conference while it’s understood that there were protests outside Israel’s Grangemouth hotel last night and again this morning.
Given the tension around the game, the SFA in conjunction with UEFA moved to close the door to any supporters inside the ground..
“I don’t think I have been involved in a closed doors game, in normal circumstances,” said Martinez Losa.
“We have done some research with our mental coach that we have. There are some clear conclusions, especially with Covid. It looks like refereeing decisions can vary when it is behind closed doors which is maybe common sense, really. Obviously you don’t have the same pressure from the crowd. Also the motivation of the players can be different.
“One of the positives is that sometimes less pressure can provide the players with a bit more confidence.We have worked on these aspects.”
He also insisted that much of this week has been spent on trying to keep a focus on the game itself rather than everything that has gone on around it.
“You want to keep the maximum focus on what you can control, and that is the training and the competition. That’s what we are here for,” he said.
“But, of course, in any camp when there are circumstances, not only on this occasion, we have always had an initial chat and there are discussions also with the leadership group if there is any concern or any way we need to help the players.
“That has been the process from the first day, to touch on the things that were relevant, and then decide from that moment to try and focus on the aspects that we can control.
“There is a novel part of not showing we are not sensitive to any circumstances. We are. But the other aspect is focusing on what really matters for us when we are representing this badge and performing for Scotland, which is the dream of some of these players since they were little girls.”
