SUFFERING a four goal mauling so close to a major tournament would normally be a cause for concern for a national team – particularly one which extends a winless run to six matches.
But Scotland, who lost 4-0 to the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2024 warm-up match in the Johan Cruyff Arena here in Amsterdam this evening, will be bitterly disappointed but by no means despondent after this reverse.
Steve Clarke’s men, who allowed Tijjani Reijnders to net a long-range strike in the first half and Georginio Wijnaldum, Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen to score in the second, competed well with Ronald Koemann’s charges for long periods and even controlled proceedings at times.
Andy Robertson and his team mates, who went into the outing on the back of defeats to England, Spain and France and draws with Georgia and Norway, certainly created a raft of scoring chances against top class rivals.
Scotland ended up paying a heavy price for their failure to convert any of them – their worst run of results since 2008.
Yet, there was once again, despite the final scoreline, much for Clarke to be heartened by as he prepares for the Group A opener against tournament hosts Germany in Munich in June.
Here are five talking points from the friendly encounter.
Shankland start
Clarke sprang something of a surprise when he selected Lawrence Shankland ahead of Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes at striker.
Shankland has certainly been in inspired form up front for Hearts this season – his second half strike in the 2-0 win over Celtic at Tynecastle at the start of the month took his tally for club and country in the 2023/24 campaign to 28.
That is 11 more than Adams of Southampton and Dykes of Queens Park Rangers have managed between them.
Yet, many fans and pundits feel the seven-times capped 28-year-old lacks the mobility needed to lead the line as a lone front man at international level and is only effective when he has support alongside him.
Could the former Aberdeen, Ayr United, Dundee United and Beerschot forward, whose only start in a dark blue jersey before this evening had been against minnows San Marino back in 2019, prove his doubters wrong?
He got on the end of a Nathan Patterson cross and headed over the crossbar early on and worked hard to create an opening in the final third thereafter. But he should have scored after McTominay had put him through on Mark Flekken in the second half. He only had the keeper to beat and he hit the crossbar.
KT class
Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney, who has moved to Real Sociedad in Spain this season to get game time, missed Scotland’s last four games against Spain, France, Georgia and Norway due to injury.
Clarke was pleased to have a man who has been one of the most consistent performers in his five year tenure available for selection again and named him on the left of his back three alongside Jack Hendry and Ryan Porteous.
He showed just how important he is to his country during the first half when Cody Gakpo swung a cross into the Scotland from wide on the left. Memphis Depay was waiting to turn the ball into the net. But Tierney anticipated the delivery, got back and headed to safety.
He also dispossessed Mats Wieffer just as the midfielder was poised to shoot in added on time before half-time. The score was just 1-0 when he went off.
Scotland have an abundance of talent in his position. John Souttar of Rangers and Liam Cooper of Leeds United were both on the bench. Grant Hanley and Scott McKenna, meanwhile, had to withdraw from the squad. But keeping the former Celtic kid fit is so important to Scotland’s chances at the Euros.
Profligate Scots
Ryan Christie is a real favourite of the Scotland manager and he was preferred to Stuart Armstrong in an advanced midfield role alongside John McGinn in the 3-4-2-1 formation which Clarke opted for.
He has been playing well for Bournemouth in the Premier League this term as a deep lying midfielder – but he showed he had lost none of his predatory instincts when he got ahead of his old Celtic team mate Jeremie Frimpong, got on the end of a Billy Gilmour cross and got a header on target.
Unfortunately for the 2,500 members of the Tartan Army in the stands, Flekken got a hand to it and palmed the attempt onto the crossbar.
It was far from the only scoring opportunity which Andy Robertson carved out. McGinn volleyed over and forced a save from Flekken with a thunderous drive, Gilmour tried his luck from distance twice and Christie headed wide. Then there was the Shankland chance.
Clarke put on Adams for Shankland, Souttar for Tierney, Lewis Ferguson for Gilmour, Armstrong for Christie and Anthony Ralston for Patterson. But the replacements failed to give his men they spark they needed. Scotland desperately need to develop a much-needed cutting edge in attack before Germany.
Gunn gaffe
Angus Gunn has barely put a foot wrong since pledging his allegiances to the land of his father’s birth and making his Scotland debut in the Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus at Hampden last year.
But could Gunn have done better at the Reijnders strike? Yes, his defenders could certainly have closed the AC Miland midfielder down far quicker than they did. And, yes, it was a wonderful strike. Still, he should have got a hand to it.
The Norwich City player, who did well to get off his line quickly and prevent Gakpo from meeting a Flekken clearance, got a hand to a Depay effort and tipped a Gakpo shot over, has stiff competition for his place now.
Zander Clark and Craig Gordon of Hearts and Liam Kelly of Motherwell are also in the squad for this double header. He can ill afford any more slip ups.
Brilliant Oranje
The Dutch may not be quite the force they once were in global football. They lost both home and away to France in qualifying and are 16-1 outsiders to replicate their 1988 European Championship success in Germany this summer. But they are still in sixth place in the FIFA World Rankings and very much remain a force to be reckoned with.
Manager Koemann named Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, Depay and Gakpo in a strong starting line-up as he attempted to get his preparations for Euro 2024 off to a winning start.
Jeremie Frimpong, the former Celtic defender who has helped Bayer Leverkusen to enjoy a sensational season in Germany, also got the nod at right back. He made his first start and won just his second cap for his country.
The hosts, though, were outclassed by the visitors in the first half and the home supporters silenced. Gilmour and McTominay bossed the centre of the park and Hendry, Porteous and Tierney nullified the threat that Depay posed. The opening goal came out of nowhere and was against the run of play.
But they wore down their adversaries' stubborn resistance and made them pay for their lack of ruthlessness in attack with three late goals. They look like they will be contenders for the Henri Delaunay trophy on this evidence.
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