STEVE Clarke spoke publicly for the first time since Scotland’s exit from the Euro 2024 finals in Germany in June at Hampden earlier today when he announced his squad for the Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal next month.
Clarke was grilled by the media about the reasons for the national team’s inability to replicate their form in qualifying, their failure to reach the knockout rounds, what he could have done differently, the angry reaction of the Tartan Army to the disappointment and his own future as manager.
Here is what he had to say.
How do you reflect on Euro 2024 two months on? What lessons have you learnt?
Steve Clarke: “It's the same as everyone else. Everyone's disappointed. We didn't achieve what we wanted to achieve. But I think the biggest thing you have to learn in football is to move on.
“That's most important. The last time we had a disappointment on this level was when we failed to get to the World Cup two years ago. We went away, we reset, we came back and we managed to qualify for the Nations League A section.
“We responded well. The last qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 was probably one of our best. That's what we have to do again.”
There's been criticism that you've not spoken about the Euros since the Euros. A lot of fans have asked, ‘Where is Steve Clarke?’
SC: “I'm here.”
Were you reluctant to talk?
SC: “No, I just didn't think there was anything to be gained with by talking about it then and maybe touching on it again now. Here we are in one press conference. All you guys are here and it's lovely to speak to you again.”
You couldn't replicate the form, energy and intensity you showed in qualifying. That is why you were heavily criticised. Why was that the case?
“There's always going to be criticism when you don't achieve your targets. If all the criticism comes to me, that's fine, I can take it. I think you have to look at the build-up to the tournament, it wasn't smooth.
Read more:
- Pundit charged by SFA over Rangers vs St Johnstone 'lies' outburst
- Callum McGregor reveals reason Celtic have made such a strong start
- Clarke explains Gauld's Scotland inclusion & addresses Euros criticism
“We lost a lot of players injured. We lost a lot of players in-camp. I think what we've shown is that if we're missing key players, then we're not as strong a side as we would be with those players on the team.”
The fans were angry about what happened. Other than the injuries, can you offer an explanation about what went wrong?
“There's lots of little things that go into making a team in a tournament. It wasn't our tournament. It didn't fall our way and you end up with a disappointment. There's too many little things that didn't come together.”
Great things were expected of Scotland at Euro 2024. Was it a reality check about where you are?
SC: “I take the expectation as a compliment because it means that myself, my staff and the players have done a really good job to raise the expectation. When I took the job it was over 20 years since we've been at a tournament. We've now been at two out of the last three, so we must have done something right.
After the Hungary game you were critical of the appointment of an Argentinian referee. Do you have any regrets over those comments?
SC: “I think what it was was a disappointed, frustrated coach coming out straight after a match with a lot of emotion.”
You’ve been criticised for being too negative at Euro 2024. Is that fair?
SC: “When you don't achieve what you want to achieve, you have to take that criticism and take it on the chin and move on.”
Do you need to change things, formation or personnel, to try to get a more creative threat into the team?
SC: “I think we have to be careful not to change too much, not to turn our back on the players that have done ever so well for the country over the last few years. The last two qualifying campaigns have been good.
“I know we lost in the (Qatar 2022) play-off, but the World Cup qualifying campaign was really good and the qualifying campaigns for the last few years have been as well. Those players deserve a lot of respect from everybody and certainly from me as their coach.”
What do you have to do better?
SC: “Well, we weren't creative enough. That's one thing we didn't do. We didn't create enough chances. Certainly, in the last game when Hungary sat in and looked to play counter-attack, we probably kept too many men behind the ball, too many players in deep positions and played too many passes that weren't trying to hurt the opposition.
“So that's something we have to look at. We have to look at being more creative, we have to look at trying to create more chances. But we also have to keep a defensive solidity because as a team we don't score a lot of goals, we understand that.
“But in the qualifying games where we were very clinical with the chances we got. In the tournament when we got the chances to score, we were perhaps not quite as clinical. We didn't get the shot away early enough or didn't show enough composure to make the finish and put the shots on target.”
Was that lack of a cutting edge up front against Hungary a result of the game plan or the players not performing on the park on the night?
SC: “It's probably a combination of both. It's also a combination of the fact that you are playing really good sides, really good opponents, who also have their game plan and want to make it as difficult as they can for you.
Read more:
- How Neil Lennon's 'joke' Champions League tactic booked last 16 spot
- Ryan Gauld called up for Scotland as experienced trio miss out
- Callum McGregor has 'no worries' Celtic board will sign new players
“There's lots of things. You can talk all day about systems and players and whatever, but you just have to improve, you have to get better, you have to learn a different way to play.”
Was there a general feeling in the Scotland camp that this was a missed opportunity?
SC: “Of course. Of course we were disappointed. Everybody's disappointed. I think the players and myself are probably more disappointed than anybody else because we felt we had a chance to create a bit of history for the country. We didn't do that. But now you have to bounce back, you have to show our resilience and move on.”
What is it that kept you awake at night at the Euros? What is it that you mulled over and thought, ‘That could have been better, that could have been different?’
SC: “Nothing kept me awake, I slept very well, I was tired. But you go through the whole process from when you start, when you name your squad, the build-up, the preparation and ask, ‘Did we do it right?’
“We felt we did at the time, you think you've prepared properly. But you can look back at other things. The games we played were the right games, with the right opposition. But should we have rested more of the players that had had a tough season?
“Should I have gone more towards the starting line-up that we were going to play against Germany in one of the games? There's lots of little things that you think we could have changed and done better.
“It's easy to sit here with hindsight and think we did that wrong, we did that wrong. There's lots of little things that we probably wouldn't do, or I wouldn't do, again. But nothing dramatic, there's nothing dramatic to say we got it so far wrong.
“The most disappointing for me was the fact that we didn't turn up in the first half against Germany. That set us off on the wrong foot. It was a fight to get back into the competition, a tough game against a really good Swiss side. I think they proved that later in the tournament as well.
“We played well, we got the point, we could have nicked a win there, they could have nicked a win as well. Let's be honest, it was quite an open game, there were certainly a couple of big chances. But I thought they could have scored in the last minute and made it even more difficult for us.
"We knew as soon as the game opened up they would cause us problems. But we had to commit because we had to win the game. Then eventually we got picked off. That's what happened. We couldn't find the moment to score the goal that we needed.”
Has there been a post-mortem with the players?
SC: “I've spoken to quite a lot of players individually over the summer, but no group post-mortem. We will touch on it when we get together. But, as I said before, you always have to learn how to move on.
Read more:
“The players are lucky because they all went back at their clubs five or six weeks ago. For me and my staff it's their first chance to sit down and have a little discussion, a brief discussion on what happened in the summer, about what we have to do better and how we have to bounce back. Hopefully you'll see that in the coming games.”
Did you ever think it was time to move on?
“No.”
Are you over it now?
SC: “Yeah, you have to get over it, you have to move on. I think that's why I'm still in the game after 43 years - you have to learn how to move on.”
Does there have to be a change in how we coach and bring young players through?
SC: “I think when there's a failure at the top level, everybody tends to look down the way. Obviously this report's come that highlights that there are some areas where we can look to improve.
“It's all very well writing reports and doing reports. We have to act on those reports. Do we need to change something? Yes we do. But all the clubs now have to sit down with the people who do that job and come up with a way.
“We certainly have to try something a little bit different. But it takes everybody to agree and then move forward and hopefully they can.
“I think we do need to improve on the depth and try to get a bigger pool of talent. We're not the biggest country obviously, we don't have lots of people. We're not England, we can't leave quality players behind.
“We need to have better players behind those players who are involved. So if the pool of talent can go from 24 to 44 it gives you the chance when you do have injuries and you do have problems with players maybe not being selected at their clubs. You need a better depth of talent.”
Are you still optimistic about Scotland going forward?
SC: “Very optimistic, I don't see anything in there that shouldn't be optimistic. We've shown before that we can come back to a setback and that's what we have to do.”
