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Steve Clarke hopes Scotland's Euro 2020 play-off progression can put a smile on the faces of absent fans

Scotland manager Steve Clarke could be looking for a new coaching team in the coming days with Alex Dyer and Steven Reid’s international future uncertain. - PA/Tim Goode 
Scotland manager Steve Clarke could be looking for a new coaching team in the coming days with Alex Dyer and Steven Reid’s international future uncertain. - PA/Tim Goode

The Tartan Army have slogged for so many thousands of miles over the 22 years separating Scotland from their last appearance in the finals of a major tournament that it would be an abiding irony if Steve Clarke’s players were to come within touching distance of the breakthrough at an empty Hampden Park. That, though, will be the outcome if the Scots prevail in their Euro 2020 semi-final playoff against Israel on October 8, a fixture which will precede a double-header on another qualification route, when Clarke’s squad face Slovakia and the Czech Republic inside the span of 72 hours in the Nations League.

The manager – who named a pool of 26 players for the three matches – is alive to the oddity of the situation, especially since he nourished prior hope that, by now, spectators would be permitted to attend, albeit on a strictly limited basis.  “The crowd won’t be there but they’ll be watching in other ways, hopefully safely and socially distanced,” Clarke said.

“They won’t be there in body but they’ll be with us in spirit so we need to make sure that, come Thursday night, they’ve all got a smile on their face. Players in general, not just our group, like to perform in front of a crowd.

“It’s probably no different to an actor or actress in the theatre. The reason you want to be on the stage or on the pitch is to perform in front of people. Football without fans can be difficult.

“Listen, there have been a lot of good, exciting games behind closed doors but, without the fans and the passion they bring, it’s just not the same. We miss that but we have to make sure we are intense because we understand the magnitude of the game and what it means to everybody.”

Sports Briefing
Sports Briefing

If Scotland beat Israel they will have to negotiate a daunting trip to either Norway or Serbia to book their place in the deferred Euro finals but, more immediately, there are other tasks to be accomplished against the Czechs and Slovaks. Clarke has recalled the Sheffield United striker, Oli McBurnie, along with his Dundee United counterpart, Lawrence Shankland, both of whom withdrew from last month’s fixtures because of injury.

Ryan Jack has missed Rangers last four games because of a calf problem but is included on spec, while Celtic’s James Forrest is, as was revealed on these pages, omitted because of the ankle knock he suffered against Riga in the Europa League last week. All of which emphasises the provisional nature of this enterprise, given that half of Clarke’s players are in club action before the international fixtures and Jack, in particular, will be monitored closely.

“Rangers have a game on Thursday night and a game on Sunday. If Ryan is not fit to play in either of those games then he wouldn’t be fit to come with the national team, but he has become a key player for us and his performances in recent matches have been good,” Clarke said.  “If we didn’t have him in the squad it would be a bit of a blow to us so we hope he manages to take part in one of the Rangers games.”

One notable debate after the Scots’ opening two Europa League outings against Israel and the Czech Republic was Scott McTominay’s awkwardness on the right of a three-man back line, the consensus being that he is ill-suited to the position, despite having featured as a central defender in club games. The Scotland manager, though, remains bullish about the Manchester United man’s performances and prospects.

“I’m not going to give anything away in terms of the nitty gritty of tactics as Israel will want to know what we’re planning,” Clarke said. “What I would say is that the players and myself were reasonably comfortable with the system.

“It gave me an opportunity to utilise players in positions that they play for their clubs. The only one would be Scott McTominay who probably hasn’t played right sided centre-back in a three for Manchester United. He has played it before but that was a long time ago.

“If you analyse his performances over the two games, they were actually OK. I know he got caught under a cross which gave Israel a big chance in the first game and that’s the one everyone highlights but I’ve played with a lot of top centre backs and let me tell you, all defenders at some point get caught under a cross. That’s all that happened.

“In the second game, because we gave the ball away twice in 30 seconds, it exposed the midfield, exposed the back defence and exposed Scott to a good run and through ball. If you take those two moments out his performance wasn’t too bad.

“The criticism that came his way was a little unfair. He acquitted himself well and I know he can play that position. The more he plays it the better he’ll get.”