There is a temptation, in some circles, to dismiss the Nations League as calendar filler. The tournament was created in 2018, seemingly to simply make what would otherwise be international friendlies more meaningful, thereby boosting attendance and television viewership.
The Full Scottish
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
For the most, it hasn’t worked, but that doesn’t mean that Scotland can afford to overlook the two fixtures scheduled for this international break—at home to Croatia at Hampden on Friday and away to Poland on Monday.
The Scots had yet to win a match in this installment of the Nations League heading into Friday night’s fixture, having so far netted only a draw (in a desultory match against Portugal at Hampden last month). That changed thanks to John McGinn’s (with a vital contribution from Ben Doak) second-half heroics, albeit with Croatia playing with 10 men.
Even with the surprising victory, collectively, the results firmly place Steve Clarke’s side at the bottom of its group table, facing, almost assuredly, relegation. But the pitiable pitfalls extend beyond the arguably meaningless Nations League.
Scotland’s run of one win in 16 heading into the match against Croatia marked the national team’s longest-ever sequence of competitive fixtures without a victory (yes, even during the long major tournament drought).
The result is that the nation’s FIFA world ranking has dropped to 51 (from 30 in June 2023).
The Scots are also now outside the top 24 in Europe, which would place them in pot three in 2026 World Cup qualifying, stacking the odds against Stateside expats getting a chance to see their team in the tournament, given the potential opponents (Spain, perhaps?).
Clarke, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, has lashed out at Scotland’s professional clubs for failing to develop young, international-caliber players.
“Show a pathway for the young players,” he told the press this week. “There’s a lot that we need to keep trying to change in Scotland if we want to get better. We need to come up with something that’s maybe a little bit different because if we keep doing what we’re doing, it isn’t going to get any better.”
Getting players capable of winning matches in the Nations League is as good a place to start as any.