Scotland should take advantage of their midfield Celtic trio in order to win both of their upcoming UEFA Nations League games.
The squad has been decimated by injuries and withdrawals before the games against Albania and Israel.
With John McGinn the latest to exit the squad, Alex McLeish has a midfield headache.
He shouldn’t look any further than Callum McGregor to solve that problem. The Celt has been in terrific form since reverting to the ‘Scott Brown’ role.
McGregor has shown he can dictate the play in midfield. He has also demonstrated his ability to get stuck in and make opposing midfielders’ lives hell.
Next to McGregor in midfield should be Ryan Christie. The midfielder has burst onto the scene at Celtic in recent weeks and is flying at the moment.
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His confidence is at an all time high and Scotland should look to take advantage of that. He can link up the play between the midfield and attack.
Scotland haven’t had someone like that for a long time, possibly since Shaun Maloney.
And the last of the Celtic trio is James Forrest. The winger is arguably Scotland’s best player on form this season. Time and time again he has terrorised defences in Scotland and Europe.
Scotland will need an out ball at times in their next two games. Forrest can offer that, he has tremendous ability at carrying the ball under pressure.
However, they must also take the game to both Albania and Israel. They have to win both and cement their place at the top of the group.
Forrest’s directness and his skill can help Scotland achieve that. He is also a goal threat himself, having scored nine goals this season.
Kieran Tierney will of course also be present for Scotland in the next two games. He has yet to really find a settled spot in the national team however.
He’s played at right back and central defence, to accommodate captain Andy Robertson at left back.
You know what you’re getting from Tierney though, effort and commitment. He could play in goals and not let the side down.
Further up the pitch, Scotland must do damage to their opponents next week.
If McLeish goes with the Celtic trio, the doom and gloom surrounding Scotland may ease up.