With the European Championship opening match imminent, despite Scotland’s preparations, the London Evening Standard remains skeptical about their prospects.
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Let’s start by looking at the Scottish players who missed out on this Euro. Aaron Hickey from Brentford, Nathan Patterson from Everton, Lewis Ferguson from Bologna, Ben Doak from Liverpool, and Lyndon Dykes from QPR. Dykes was Steve Clarke’s first-choice striker, but his injury leaves Clarke with only Adams as a forward option. This puts the responsibility of scoring goals on other players, such as John McGinn from Aston Villa and Scott McTominay from Manchester United, who scored 7 and 10 goals respectively in the last season.
In the 2020 Euros, Scotland finished bottom of Group D with one draw and two losses. As Manager Clarke puts it, he still hopes his team can give Germany a tough time. “We can’t just sit back and defend for 98 minutes. They need to know we can hurt them.”
However, the German team boasts a midfield trio led by the masterful Toni Kroos, alongside Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. It will be a challenge for Scotland to contend with such a formidable midfield.
Despite the fact that the four best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16, Scotland’s group opponents – Hungary and Switzerland, along with Germany – are no pushovers. Switzerland hasn’t missed a major tournament since Euro 2004, while Hungary is considered a dark horse by many commentators.
Manager Clarke hopes his team can secure four points to qualify for the knockout stage with their heads held high. The question remains: Can they do it?