Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has underlined the importance of remaining in the top tier of the UEFA Nations League, as his side prepares to face Greece at Hampden Park on Sunday.
Following a 1-0 win in the play-off first leg on Thursday night, Clarke knows that avoiding defeat will secure Scotland’s place in Section A for the next campaign, something the 61-year-old believes is crucial in maintaining the squad’s development.
“Very important,” he said. “Instead of having four friendlies leading into a World Cup qualifying campaign, we’ve actually got two games in March that mean a lot. So they are important games.”
Scotland have benefited from regularly testing themselves against Europe’s elite, a challenge Clarke insists has helped his players improve, even if the current FIFA rankings suggest otherwise.
“I think we’ve improved. If you look at our world rankings it will tell you different but that’s a little anomaly that seems to have popped up with the Nations League,” he explained.
“I think as a team we’ve improved. I think we, as individual players, have improved at this level. We understand what it takes to win a game at this level, and thankfully recently we’ve been able to show that we can do that.”
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Having led Scotland to back-to-back European Championships, Clarke has raised expectations among the Tartan Army. But while supporters may dream of greater success, the manager remains firmly focused on the task at hand.
“Nah, listen, supporters are always going to dream and think ahead. For me, it’s just about focusing on the next game. The next game is against a good Greece side here at Hampden and we want to win the game," he added.
