SCOTT MCTOMINAY STRUGGLING AT CENTRE HALF
It is perhaps unsurprising that managers at both club and international level have fancied McTominay at the back given his physical profile, but fresh from a glaring lapse that went unpunished against Israel on Friday, the Manchester United man was at fault for the Czech's shock opener here.
The big man was caught ball-watching as Pesek crept in behind him off the wing, and was left helpless as the impressive midfielder finished coolly past David Marshall.
Presented hosts with a brilliant chance to level in second half too when conceding a cheap free-kick right on the edge of the box, and would have been relieved to see Havlik’s effort skim narrowly past.
ROTATION A FRUSTRATION
Scotland manager Steve Clarke explained his thinking behind changing five players from the draw with Israel as being motivated by a lack of match sharpness, but it meant that the visitors struggled for fluency in their play even more than their hosts.
It also meant that the likes of Kieran Tierney and John McGinn had to settle for a place on the bench, and the absence of the latter in particular took away one of the Scots’ most potent attacking weapons.
It would have been interesting to see how the good signs of a partnership in attack between McGinn and Lyndon Dykes that were glimpsed in the Israel game could have developed further here, but the Tartan Army will have to wait for that.
MIDFIELD FRINGE STARS BLEW CHANCE
It is often said that the strongest area of the Scotland team is in the middle of the park, but with a few regulars rested, some of those who have found starting berths hard to come by were given a chance to shine.
Sadly for the likes of John Fleck, Kenny McLean and Stuart Armstrong, they failed to seize their opportunity to stake a claim, and didn't impact the game in any meaningful way.
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