GORDON Strachan stated last week the central midfield department of his Scotland squad is the strongest it has been since he took over as manager two and a half years ago.

 

The competition for the two deep-lying places in the 4-2-3-1 formation Strachan is set to go with once again against the Republic of Ireland tomorrow is certainly ferocious.

Charlie Adam, Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher, James McArthur, James Morrison and Charlie Mulgrew can all be played in the pivotal roles in this Euro 2016 qualifier.

Strachan has different reasons for giving every member of that gifted sextet the nod to start in the Group D match in the Aviva Stadium tomorrow evening as they each have qualities they can bring to the national team.

Four of them (Adam, Fletcher, McArthur and Morrison) play their club football at a high level in England in the Premier League while the other two (Brown and Mulgrew) have represented Celtic in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Brown, the Scotland captain, is, if fit, guaranteed to take one of the spots and win his 45th cap in Dublin. The 29-year-old's ball-winning ability and relentless work rate make him invaluable to his country in the middle of the park.

But who should play alongside him is the biggest selection dilemma Strachan and his coaches Stuart McCall and Mark McGhee have to wrestle with in the hours leading up to kick-off.

Brown has played superbly alongside Mulgrew with both club and country in the past. The pair have an understanding borne of many hours spent next to each other on the training pitch and on the field of play. In normal circumstances, they would probably both be chosen.

Mulgrew was outstanding in the last match against the Republic at Celtic Park back in November. His physicality, aerial prowess and tactical awareness caused Martin O'Neill's side serious problems both defensively and when they tried to attack.

However, the 29-year-old has missed the majority of the season with a hamstring tendon injury. The friendly match against Qatar at Easter Road last Friday night was the first 90 minutes of football he had played since November 22. Does he have enough in the tank to get through what is sure to be another energy-sapping encounter?

A solution is to move the versatile former Wolves and Aberdeen man to centre half. He has played a lot of his football there in the past and would take the switch in his stride. He certainly gave a good account of himself when he was chosen in the heart of the backline seven days ago.

It may be harsh on Gordon Greer, the Brighton centre half who has always acquitted himself admirably when called on by his country, but it may be a gamble worth taking to involve a man who has a many attributes, not least a killer dead ball delivery, in all areas.

Picking Mulgrew next to Russell Martin would also allow Strachan to involve another of his abundance of talented central midfielders, most probably Fletcher or Morrison, in the away game.

The latter has done very well there, despite it not being his favoured position, in the qualifying wins against Georgia and Gibraltar at home and the draw away against Poland.

Morrison's new West Brom club mate Fletcher is probably his main rival for a start next to the skipper. He has rediscovered his best form since overcoming his well-documented health issues and leaving Manchester United for the Hawthorns in February.

At no stage before during Strachan's reign has he been able to select the former Scotland captain after he had played so much competitive football and he has admitted that prospect excites him hugely.