vs Netherlands

[DA Baracus]

Shit is happening fast now and tomorrow evening the national team face the Netherlands in Portugal in their first pre-Euros friendly match. 

This will be interesting to see who Clarke plays and how he sets them up. He'll know his team for the Czech Republic game so will he use this to 'fine tune' it or will be give 'fringe' players more of a run out? Perhaps he might test out a few plays and set pieces? Maybe mix up the formation a bit. Will he rest key players to avoid the risk of injury, especially since the season had only very recently ended?

Find out tomorrow!

Think the last time we played them was at Pittodrie when Malkkkay Mackay was shamefully in charge. I believe we lost 0-1.

 

Opponent: Netherlands 

Venue: Estadio Algarve, Portugal 

Date: Wednesday 2nd June 

Kick off time: 19.45 GMT

TV: Sky Sports Main Event from 19.30

Edited June 1, 2021 by DA Baracus

[accies1874]

Part of me wants it to be the team for the Czech Republic game, another part wants to do something batshit crazy so as to not give anything away (not that we'll be holding too many surprises).

Apparently Gilmour and McTominay will both miss this match, and with Fleck isolating we only really have the option to drop McGinn back into the midfield two. Armstrong should therefore play as the 10 as long as he promises not to be the competition winner he was against Austria. Fraser probably won't be able to start (but should, IMO, start against CR) so I'd actually go with Forrest because he's more similar to Fraser but I accept that it will be Christie or Dykes partnering Adams.

RCB is the interesting one. Unless it's Hendry, who should know the role and Clarke will know what he brings to it, whoever is going to start the Czech game should start this and v Luxembourg in that position as it's gonna be an unfamiliar role for them. It's Cooper for me.

I'd like to see Patterson get 20/25 minutes and Fraser needs a good chunk of game time too.

[TheScarf]

I have a bad feeling about this.  2-0 The Netherlands.

[Marten]

I have a bad feeling about this, 2-0 Scotland.

[ScottMc77]

I'd like to see the whole squad utilised over these next 2 warm up games (subject to relative fitness/Covid, etc).

Not really fussed about results, just need each player to know the system and make their push for a start v Czechs. So many spots in the first eleven up for grabs I think.

Netherlands will be rotating their squad too, I'd imagine.

 

[DA Baracus]

6 minutes ago, ScottMc77 said:

I'd like to see the whole squad utilised over these next 2 warm up games (subject to relative fitness/Covid, etc).

Not really fussed about results, just need each player to know the system and make their push for a start v Czechs. So many spots in the first eleven up for grabs I think.

Netherlands will be rotating their squad too, I'd imagine.

 

Do you mean starting spots for the Czech game? I imagine there are none up for grabs for that game as Clarke will surely already know his team. Only injury or COVID will change that now I imagine.

[ScottMc77]

16 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Do you mean starting spots for the Czech game? I imagine there are none up for grabs for that game as Clarke will surely already know his team. Only injury or COVID will change that now I imagine.

Yes, I was meaning that.

I think he will have first 11 in mind, but I think there is always scope for someone or other to make a strong case.

 

 

[DA Baracus]

3 minutes ago, ScottMc77 said:

Yes, I was meaning that.

I think he will have first 11 in mind, but I think there is always scope for someone or other to make a strong case.

 

 

Nah, can't see that happening from a friendly if he already knows his team. If however he's still unsure about 1 or 2 positions then aye, but he doesn't strike me as a manager who would be unsure at this stage.

All guesswork mind!

[Richey Edwards]

I have a good feeling about this.

4-0 Scotland.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Sort of related, but Croatia are currently drawing 1-1 at home to Armenia. It's being played at the diddiest stadium I've ever seen used for an international match and Kris Boyd is on co-comms.

[Jambomo]

24 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

Sort of related, but Croatia are currently drawing 1-1 at home to Armenia. It's being played at the diddiest stadium I've ever seen used for an international match and Kris Boyd is on co-comms.

I only realised it was Boyd commentating when he was laughing about his lack of fitness when one of the goalkeepers got cramp.

[the snudge]

48 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

Sort of related, but Croatia are currently drawing 1-1 at home to Armenia. It's being played at the diddiest stadium I've ever seen used for an international match and Kris Boyd is on co-comms.

How did Croatia look? Was it a case of strolling through avoiding injuries?

[DiegoDiego]

Armenia have more B teams in their national leagues so it's a good draw for Croatia when you think about it

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

1 hour ago, the snudge said:

How did Croatia look? Was it a case of strolling through avoiding injuries?

They created loads of chances in the first half when Modric was still on and pulling the strings. They seem to be missing a quality replacement for Mandzucic.

They seemed to switch off in the second half and Armenia possibly could have nicked it in the end.

[Gordopolis]

Bit concerned here at the diminished options in deeper midfield for tonight's game - McLean and Jack out, Fleck with the plague, McTominay being rested. That leaves us with McGinn (a bit less solid and certainly less effective for Scotland at DM), McGregor (good player but only had 1 commanding game for us) and Gilmour (hugely talented but uncapped and probably still physically at a disadvantage).

If this was the Luxembourg game tonight I'd start Gilmour and McGinn with Turnbull ahead, but against Holland I think we need a bit more certainty in the deeper area.

Result doesn't hugely matter, of course, but I'd hate for us to get run over. Important to keep the morale at a good level before the tourney starts in earnest.

[AJF]

16 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

Nah, can't see that happening from a friendly if he already knows his team. If however he's still unsure about 1 or 2 positions then aye, but he doesn't strike me as a manager who would be unsure at this stage.

All guesswork mind!

I'd hope he takes the opposite approach to be honest and waits to judge the players over the course of the training camp and these friendlies before making any calls on his starting 11.

Fair enough he may have a team in mind, but it would be silly to overlook players that are looking sharp and up for it over the course of the next couple of weeks just because he already has a team in mind. I wouldn't see that as him being unsure, it would be properly evaluating the squad with the time that he has with them.

Edited June 2, 2021 by AJF

[DA Baracus]

8 minutes ago, AJF said:

I'd hope he takes the opposite approach to be honest and waits to judge the players over the course of the training camp and these friendlies before making any calls on his starting 11.

Fair enough he may have a team in mind, but it would be silly to overlook players that are looking sharp and up for it over the course of the next couple of weeks just because he already has a team in mind. I wouldn't see that as him being unsure, it would be properly evaluating the squad with the time that he has with them.

I'm not seeing how looking sharp in a training camp and two friendlies trumps proven experience in a team and system.

Clarke gives off the impression that he's pretty meticulous, so it would surprise me if he chucked out his plans because someone was running around a bit more in a Portuguese training camp. I think every single player in the squad will be right up for it and desperate to play, and the excitement will show for them all in training.

[Marten]

A bit more specific from a Dutch POV, I'm not exactly excited about our chances at the upcoming Euros. We don't really have a great team. It seems to be a bunch of individuals rather than an actual team, with some key weaknesses. I genuinely rate Scotland higher at the moment. Then again, with our inconsistency we'll probably either have an absolutely rubbish game or a great one, there doesn't seem to be any middle of the road option for us.

[AJF]

22 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

I'm not seeing how looking sharp in a training camp and two friendlies trumps proven experience in a team and system.

Clarke gives off the impression that he's pretty meticulous, so it would surprise me if he chucked out his plans because someone was running around a bit more in a Portuguese training camp. I think every single player in the squad will be right up for it and desperate to play, and the excitement will show for them all in training.

Proven experience in a team and system counts very little for me at this stage considering our recent record has been distinctly average verging on poor. If you go back to the start of our most recent Nations League campaign and include our play off matches and recent WC Qualifiers, we have a record of 4 wins from 11 matches (plus 2 penalty shootout wins after drawing). That doesn't sound terrible, but when you factor in 2 of those wins were against teams depleted by covid and another was against the Faroes, then it paints a bleak picture. Our performances have not been good at all.

Now is the perfect time to use this extended period with the team to address the issues we have and evaluate if we need to make changes. It's hardly "running around a bit more", it's players responding to the roles being asked of them and if certain players are performing well in matches/training and looking a better fit for the team then why should he persist with others?

Edited June 2, 2021 by AJF

[GordonS]

14 minutes ago, Marten said:

A bit more specific from a Dutch POV, I'm not exactly excited about our chances at the upcoming Euros. We don't really have a great team. It seems to be a bunch of individuals rather than an actual team, with some key weaknesses. I genuinely rate Scotland higher at the moment. Then again, with our inconsistency we'll probably either have an absolutely rubbish game or a great one, there doesn't seem to be any middle of the road option for us.

GTF.

De Ligt, Aké, de Vrij, Wijnaldum, Frankie de Jong, Luuk de Jong, Depay, van de Beek, Blind, Stekelenburg, Ranked 11th in Europe, with Scotland at 25th.

Mind games, that's what this is.