NORWAY manager Stale Solbakken tonight predicted that Scotland will be “a handful” for their Euro 2024 opponents after his team were held to a 3-3 draw in their final qualifier at Hampden.
Solbaken was disappointed that his team lost the lead twice at set pieces in the first half and needed a late equaliser from substitute Mohamed Elyounoussi to earn a point in Glasgow.
However, the former Wolves head coach acknowledged that Steve Clarke’s side, who won 2-1 in Oslo in June and finished six points ahead of his men in second place in Group A, are formidable rivals.
He feels that John McGinn and his compatriots will be able to give whoever they face in Germany next summer a difficult match regardless of who they come up against.
Asked for his thoughts about Scotland, Solbakken said: “I think they have a great coach and very disciplined players who know their strengths and limits. They don’t pretend to be something else.
“They also have tournament experience now. So I think they can be a handful for everyone.
“I also think they can play two systems, which will be valuable for them. There will be no easy games for those who play Scotland.”
Scotland manager Clarke stressed that he wants his team to be competitive when they travel to their second consecutive European Championship finals in Germany next year.
“That would be the intention, to go there and compete,” he said. “What we’ve worked hard at is being very competitive every time we go on the pitch.
“We’re Scotland. We have a certain way of playing. We have a style. We like to play on the front foot. Hopefully the Norway manager is right when we get to Germany.”
Asked about the Norway result, Clarke added: “A strange game. We were a yard off it first half, much better second half. I need to go away and analyse it.
“It was a nice night for supporters to say thank you to team, and for the team and staff to thank the supporters. That part of the night was pretty good.
“I’ll probably spend the next couple of days recovering, take a bit of time to myself.
“Then I’ll look back at Georgia and Norway, see what I could have done better, see what the players could have done better.
“Then I’ll get myself ready for a trip to Hamburg, which is great. We’re in the draw and that’s something everyone can look forward to next summer. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
