Clarke savors triumph in Scotland debut but faces challenge against revamped Spain

John McGinn’s candour in his assessment of Scotland’s performance against Cyprus showed his straight-shooting nature. Although he scored his 16th goal for Scotland, McGinn didn’t glorify the achievement. Instead, he expected more from the team because they’re capable of more. Scotland’s standards are higher now, and a 3-0 victory against Cyrpus, while ultimately satisfying, wasn’t satisfactory. McGinn’s ability to find faults in a victory demonstrates how discerning Scotland has become, and how far they’ve come since the despairing days when they last played an opener in a Euros campaign.

Spain presents a different challenge, and anything less than three points on Saturday would have spelled disaster for Scotland, especially considering the quality of Spain players like Dani Olmo, Erling Haaland, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Nevertheless, Spain’s manager, Luis de la Fuente, is forging a new era with Spain’s squad. He’s an interesting character, known for his work with underage national teams where he guided the under-19s and under-21s to Euros glory and won silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He’s changed the formation from the previous 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 and selected teenagers like Alejandro Balde, Gavi, and Villarreal attacker Yeremy Pino, among others.

Scotland’s manager, Steve Clarke, wants to focus on positive headlines, but things need to improve before facing Spain. He can take heart from Norway’s performance against Spain, where Norway created chances before Spain pulled away. Clarke has options like Lewis Ferguson, who is in fine form in Serie A, and could provide extra firepower from the bench. With the campaign beginning on Saturday but truly beginning on Tuesday against Spain, Scotland’s players hope to show their discerning nature and how far they’ve come.



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