All great coaches are, at heart, problem solvers. Guys who find solutions that wouldn’t always occur to even the above-average armchair gaffer.
If Scotland’s players are rightly earning praise for the fight and heart they showed in coming back to beat Norway at the Ullevaal Stadion, no-one should overlook a masterful bit of management by Steve Clarke. In switching formation and bringing on precisely the right players for a difficult situation, Clarke not only demonstrated quick thinking in the midst of a potential crisis – but underlined just how effective and adaptable Scotland have become under his guidance.
Be honest, now. Plenty of us Scotland punters, whether basking in the Oslo sunshine or glued to our TV screens back home, were calling for changes from the moment Norway took the lead through Erling Haaland’s penalty. And a majority would have been more than delighted to see Clarke change from a 5-4-1 to a 4-2-3-1 that put John McGinn closer to the action in a No. 10 role.
