Steve Clarke has insisted Scotland didn't have an "off night" against Georgia as Lawrence Shankland's late header salvaged a draw in Tbilisi.
The national team boss is adamant it would be harsh on his squad to downplay their performance in the Euro 2024 qualifying draw.
Asked whether his side suffered an uncharacteristic off night, he told BBC Sportsound: "Listen, it wasn't an off night, it was a difficult night against a good opponent.
"I said right at the start I think of the pot four teams I think Georgia are probably the best and have one player up front who is exceptional and can turn the game in a moment.
"It's not so much an off night, it's a night where we think we can do better because we always want to do better, but to say it was an off night would be a little bit harsh on the players.
"I thought they showed good character, they kept passing the ball, looking to do the right things and we did create chances in the game. We had a lot of possession, a lot of shots at goal, maybe we could have been a little bit more clinical at times."
In fact, Clarke suggested his players were too eager to win in Georgia as he bemoaned a lack of patience in a difficult first-half display.
"I just felt maybe we didn't keep our shape well enough, we didn't show enough patience," he said of the issues in the first half.
"It was almost as if we wanted to win the game before the game was there to be won.
"Sometimes, you have to wait for your chances to come and I thought we were maybe a little bit impetuous trying to get forward too early, too quickly.
"The second half was better, a little bit more composure and we controlled the game better."
