Clarke & Scotland find way to bounce back yet again

Facing intense criticism was not new for Scotland head coach Steve Clarke when his dejected players left Germany to the sound of a Bavarian oompah band after a deflating Euros campaign in the summer.

Similarly, the heaps of praise now coming his way for revitalising the side following Andy Robertson’s last-gasp winner in Warsaw is familiar too.

An ability to bounce back from adversity is one of Clarke’s key qualities – and the nation appear to be benefitting from that resilient mentality once again after ending their Nations League campaign with wins over Croatia and Poland.

The Scots will have to navigate a relegation play-off in March to ensure they remain with the big hitters, but a formation shift – coupled with the addition of teenage winger Ben Doak – has refreshed a team many suggested had hit their ceiling.

But six Nations League games later, Scotland have shown visible signs of progression against higher-ranked opposition and the feelgood factor has been restored among the Tartan Army.

“The players didn’t lose belief and I didn’t lose belief in the players,” Clarke said. “The more you play at this level, the more you learn how to win the games and we’ve proven that.”

In the face of the media, at least, it is probably just as well Clarke does not get too high or too low given this is not the first time he has been in this situation.

Post-match in Warsaw, he said the dramatic win was “just another step on the journey” as he eyes a third major tournament.

The former West Brom boss was the standout candidate for most when he was appointed back in 2019 because of his fine work at Kilmarnock.

But a tough opening to his tenure, which included two heavy defeats by Belgium and four-goal loss in Russia, quelled optimism.

In the following months, however, an identity emerged after a shift to a back three, with the bold selection of Scott McTominay on the right of defence.

It paid off as a nine-game unbeaten run followed, as did qualification for the delayed Euro 2020 finals – Scotland’s first major tournament in more than two decades.

Then came more questions and more doubts after a sobering Nations League defeat in Ireland came in the wake of failing to reach the 2022 World Cup.

But Clarke extinguished those concerns in spectacular fashion when his side roared to the 2024 Euros by winning their first five qualifiers, with McTominay transformed into a free-scoring attacking midfielder.

Scotland went to Germany on the back of a grim run of form, though, and further disappointment came their way in the summer, as did a barrage of criticism for the head coach for a pedestrian style of play.

A change of approach was demanded and it has come in the form of a switch to a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Doak adding much-needed pace and drive out wide.

Late concessions at home against Poland and in Portugal, plus a narrow defeat in Croatia, denied the Scots points in their opening three Nations League games.

But seven points from their final matches against the same opposition ended the campaign on a high and avoided automatic relegation.

“Clarke’s change of system has brought more freedom,” former Scotland midfielder John Collins said on BBC Sportsound.

“The players look more comfortable in possession and they have more options in front of them. John Souttar looks like an international centre-back now and Doak has given us pace, power and penetration.”

Meanwhile, ex-Scotland forward James McFadden added: “We don’t have strikers who will score every game, but we have a manager who will find a way to get the best out of players.

“He’s built a really strong squad and we can look forward to World Cup qualifying now regardless of our group.”

Were you one of the Clarke doubters or did you see this turnaround coming?

Regardless, how impressed are you with the way the Scotland head coach has once again revitalised the team?

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