Pundit Michael Stewart has been left bemused by the tactics and selections of Scotland manager Steve Clarke, believing he is misusing Celtic talents.
Scotland lost their latest World Cup qualifier against Denmark earlier this week and are in a precarious position heading into matches against Moldova and Austria.
Anything less than six points will leave it very difficult for Scotland to qualify for the 2022 tournament.
Stewart sees the players available to Clarke, including Celtic players Callum McGregor and David Turnbull, and fails to understand why Scotland play the way they do.
Writing in his Scottish Sun column, he said: “The thing is, we have good attacking players — but we don’t seem capable of allowing them to express themselves. Are you telling me Billy Gilmour, Callum McGregor and David Turnbull can’t get on the ball and play football?
“It just feels like we are not getting the best out of the good players that we have at our disposal. And my issue is that I can’t see what we’re working on. There are too many square pegs in round holes.
“When you watch Scotland, does it feel progressive? Are we getting better, or are we muddling along? Now, I’m nowhere close to the stage where I’m thinking Clarke’s time is up, or anything like that. But I just can’t agree with some of the decisions he is making.
“I’d actually love to sit down with him and let him explain the thinking behind why we’re doing this. Because I don’t understand why a guy I have huge respect for can’t see it’s not working. It’s as if fear is holding us back.”
I too would like see Scotland play in a far bolder fashion given the attacking talent available. I actually think Clarke has a talented, exciting group to work with.
They don’t need to be shackled by conservative tactics. Clearly it isn’t working.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Scotland manager handles tonight’s match at home to Moldova. Surely we’ll see a more progressive style of football, best utilising players such as McGregor and Turnbull?
In other news, Celtic youngster Barry Coffey makes it 4 goals in 6 games out on loan.
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