Scotland Need To Embrace Euro 2020 Qualifying Challenge

Date: 20th March 2019

 

The Scotland men’s national team have got two chances of getting to Euro 2020. 

They managed to reach the final stages of the Nations League and this week they return to traditional qualifying. The team can’t afford to take an eye off either route and need to do their upmost to somehow end the years of waiting for the men’s national side to return to one of the major tournaments. 

I feel we’ve got a solid squad. We look good in central midfield and have a couple of extremely talented wingers. Obviously we also have two very good left-backs! 

We do have weak areas, the right-back spot isn’t the strongest. I’m still not convinced about the centre-half position although we do have younger players coming through.

Winning breeds confidence and that should give us the best chance of qualifying, 

With that in mind, the Scottish side need to have a strong start in this qualifying campaign as the face two away ties against Kazakhstan and San Marino.

Now on paper Scotland should win these games, Kazakhstan are seventy-seven places behind the Scots in the Fifa World Rankings with San Marino the lowest ranked side in the group. 

But as any Tartan Army follower will tell you, Scotland can struggle when they are classed the favourites for any fixture and especially in competitive away fixtures! 

The team need to remain focused and stick to a game plan. We need to play to our positives and yet respect our opponents and not overlook them. 

Going to Kazakhstan comes with issues. 

The Kazakh team are unbeaten in their last four homes games, winning against Moldova last month. You’ve also got to factor in the big time difference that Scotland have to try and acclimatise to, plus the travel time it took to get there. The Scottish lads also need to watch out for the plastic pitch. 

We’ve got less striking options than we’d want and our captain Andrew Robertson can’t make the trip due to a recent operation (It’s hoped he can be back for the San Marino match). 

I’d like to see experienced boss Alex McLeish using a core of Celtic talent for these fixtures as they are used to being favourites in the majority of their games, can remain patient and have European experience.

So I’d want Scott Bain, Callum McGregor and James Forrest starting. I would also prefer to see Stuart Armstrong and John McGinn play beside McGregor in midfield. 

I believe that Swansea City forward Oli McBurnie deserves the chance to lead the line. The striker has scored sixteen goals in the English Championship. He has the qualities to be our main frontman but needs to prove that he can score at this level. Hopefully the hitman takes his chances if he gets them in the next week. 

I feel this Scottish side has the potential to realise all our dreams. But the hardest part of potential is realising it. 

The Scottish men’s side need to keep a winning spirit going and they need to get the results needed to get us to qualify for Euro 2020. 

If they do that, then they’ll become national heroes! 

That’s why this week is a big one for Scotland. 

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