One of the more confusing things Scotland manager Steve Clarke did was drop Callum McGregor against the Czech Republic.
A regular fixture for Scotland, McGregor only saw a brief period of action on Monday afternoon. It showed, with a lack of balance in the midfield. Long balls from defence factored for the majority of Scotland’s half-chances. In a frustrating 90 minutes, most of the positive qualities the Tartan Army have seen over the last year were largely neglected.
Playing a 3-5-2, Clarke depended on McTominay, McGinn and Armstrong through the middle. While Andy Robertson showed his class, the Czech Republic grew into the game, managing to keep attacks from our left side to a minimum in the second half. And by then, they were two goals up.
While Armstrong was an admirable choice, the midfield lacked a gritty, box-to-box midfielder in McGregor’s mould. He’s someone that provides energy for a full 90 minutes, and despite having his critics this season, has been one of Celtic’s most consistent players for years.
Armstrong, who enjoyed some link up play with Robertson, started the game brightly. However, his forays onto the left flank meant that the Czech Republic had spaces to exploit, as you can see from Armstrong’s touches map [WhoScored?]. McGregor, on the other hand, plays a similar role for Celtic. Nonetheless, he has the mobility and defensive instincts to bring play further into the middle.
Given that it’s where Scotland’s best players are, it makes sense to bring him back in against Gareth Southgate’s England.
Scotland need Callum McGregor’s passing and grit in midfield
A metronomic passer, McGregor is able to recover the ball well in central areas, and is accurate with his distribution. Across the 20-21 season, he completed 90% of his passes, while only being dribbled past 0.6 times per 90 [WhoScored?]. His industriousness makes him good foil for McGinn, or even Billy Gilmour.
Armstrong is a good player, no doubt. However, his inclusion alongside a roaming playmaker like McGinn meant there was a profound lack of bite and mobility in the midfield. Where McGregor helps out here is by doing the ugly stuff well.
Receiving passes from defence, linking well with an overlapping full-back and keeping things compact. Those are McGregor’s qualities, and it was exactly what Scotland needed. If you’re playing a midfield three, you need a player like CalMac as a stop-gap between a defensive midfielder and the more creative outlet. With Armstrong, they had two playmakers, and it didn’t work.
Given England’s qualities in midfield, not least the impressive Kalvin Philips [BBC], Scotland need to make the pragmatic decision here. Given how defensive Clarke’s line-up was, it would’ve actually made more sense to have a two-man pivot in the midfield.
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