SCOTLAND’S final match in the 2022/23 Nations League against Ukraine here in Poland this evening will be the 40th that Steve Clarke has taken charge of as manager.
There have not been many more important, or more difficult to prepare for, during his three year reign.
The Euro 2020 play-off games against Israel and Serbia were huge for the country as were the encounters with the Czech Republic, England and Croatia in the finals of that tournament.
The Qatar 2022 play-off semi-final back in June against the same team they will face in the Cracovia Stadium tonight was also momentous.
Yet, a draw or a win in Krakow will have far-reaching repercussions for Scotland; they will top Group B1, clinch a Euro 2024 play-off spot and secure promotion to the A League.
Finishing first in the section will rank alongside anything Clarke has achieved since succeeding Alex McLeish back in 2019.
He made light of his famously lugubrious demeanour yesterday when he was asked about his longevity – only Jock Stein, Craig Brown and Andy Roxburgh have occupied the dugout in more Scotland internationals – in the job.
“I was very surprised when I was told it was 40,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like 40, I’ve got to be honest. That must mean that somewhere in there, although you don’t see it very often, I’m actually quite enjoying the job.
“I didn’t notice that statistic, but I always say the same thing to people about achievements and categorising things. I will only do that when I am finished and sitting lying on a beach somewhere counting back.
“Only then will I try to assess how I felt about that job and this job and what my best moment was or my win ratio. All that is for later. For now? I’ll just carry on being miserable and get on with my job.”
The 59-year-old could be excused for feeling gloomy ahead of this outing; he is sweating on the fitness of four important players after a virus swept through his already badly depleted squad.
But Clarke has been here before and dealt with it – he was missing key personnel in the play-off final win over Serbia in Belgrade back in 2020 and oversaw a richly deserved victory – and he can do so again.
Declan Gallagher, the St Mirren centre half who was immense for Scotland that night, could well be drafted into his starting line-up this evening despite only being called up last week after Grant Hanley withdrew.
Can Gallagher reproduce his inspired display in the Red Star Stadium alongside Jack Hendry? His manager will be looking for the defender and every other member of his side to rise to the occasion.
“That’s what we have to aim for,” he said. “We have to aim to replicate that performance and that result and if we can do that then everybody will be happy. We’re not short of issues - but we’re also not short of determination to go out there and finish the job.
“They are a good, strong, physical team and they also have quality. But we always stand up to it. We’ve shown we can be a match for any team whether it’s on quality or physicality. We’ll be ready for it.
“They’ve probably had slightly better preparation in that they could afford to rest some players out at the weekend. They might have more intensity at the start of the game, but my team will be ready for it.
“We’re really positive. Obviously the players feel great about themselves after two very good performances (they beat Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland last week). The most important thing for me is we back up the previous two performances.
“We go away from home against a good team. Ukraine will be disappointed with the way they played at Hampden and will want to be better. We need to make sure we get to the same levels as we did last week. If we do that, hopefully we can get the result we want.”
The 4-2-3-1 formation that Clarke switched to in the meetings with Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland took people by surprise. He is not exactly renowned as an attack-minded manager. But it worked brilliantly and is likely to be retained tonight despite the illness and injury issues which have blighted the build-up.
“It’s always nice to buck the trend and go against how you’re perceived,” he said. “My perceived image is as a very pragmatic and defensive coach. It’s nice to be able to show that I’ve got another side as well.
“You have to be open-minded and realise that the game has changed a lot from when I first started away back in 1983.
“The game evolves and you tend to find that the people with longevity in the game are the ones that evolve with it. The ones that can adapt and change to the trends if you like. If that’s what it needs then I am happy to do that.”
Scotland have bounced back from the defeats they suffered to Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland in the Qatar 2022 play-off semi-final and Nations League respectively in June in some style during this international break.
Clarke, though, is constantly striving to improve and will not accept any excuses for an unsatisfactory display or a defeat.
“The rewards are always to be good and improve,” he said. “I’ve been very consistent in my message that we want to keep improving. I was very honest over the summer when I said I thought we’d stalled. Up to the point of being overcritical of everyone.
“It was nice to get into this camp. I reset the staff at the start of the week, along with the players, and we’ve had a good response to that. We want to finish the week on a high by getting the right result.
“I want to keep moving forward. Even if it goes well and we get to pot two (Scotland will be second seeds in the Euro 2024 draw next month if they top Group B1), I don’t want to stop there. That can’t be the limit of our aspirations. We have to strive to be better all the time.”
