WITH qualification for Euro 2017 looking increasingly likely, Scotland have the opportunity to stretch their Group 1 lead over Iceland to six points in Paisley on Friday night.
With both teams almost certain to qualify, coach Anna Signeul reckons Scotland are just two wins away from the finals in the Netherlands next summer. The match against Slovenia should provide one of them.
That said, the Slovenians are the third-best team in the group. They gave Scotland a good game in Ajdovscina last September when Kim Little’s hat-trick was required to lift her side above a generally lacklustre performance.
Slovenia have good players, but, in an evolving sport, their development is behind that of neighbouring Italy and other western European nations.
Given that Scotland have racked up 17 goals in their two previous home games, against Belarus and Macedonia, it will be a major setback if they don’t pull further clear of the Icelanders, who by then will have two games in hand, and play Belarus a week on Tuesday.
Disposing of lower-ranked sides is something this Scotland side tends to do comfortably at home. When Little, who plays in the No 10 role, Lisa Evans and Jane Ross are all on song they can shred lesser defences. In the last game, against Macedonia, Hayley Lauder also got in on the act.
The two key games will be those against Iceland in June (home) and September. The sides are separated by just one place in the latest Fifa rankings and Scotland can definitely qualify for the Euros by winning Group 1, never mind finishing second, which is also likely to be good enough.
In the bigger picture, the problem is closing the gap on nations such as Norway and Sweden, each of whom have taken women’s football seriously for much longer. Both beat Scotland comfortably in recent friendlies, with the top teams continuing to be physically stronger.
The good news is that a number of the players now play for top teams and benefit from that. Little, pictured, and Rachel Corsie play for Seattle Reign, arguably the best team in the United States; Jenny Beattie for Manchester City along with Ross, who scored her first goal for her new club in midweek; and Lisa Evans for Bayern Munich. There is a talented spine to this Scotland side, but weaknesses persist in other areas and solutions need to be found before they can move to the next level.
THERE has been a potentially massive development in the United States where five high-profile players, including Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd, have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
They have pointed out the US Soccer Federation pays its female players far less than the men – though the women’s team are infinitely more successful. The five say they have signed the complaint on behalf of the entire women’s squad – their case, if successful, could have huge ramifications.
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