Euro is set to begin in June 2024, and with this highly-anticipated competition opposing the best national teams in Europe, the expectations are at their peak. Scotland is officially qualified for Euro 2024 alongside Spain, but qualifications are far from over. It will be the national team's fourth participation in the Euro, and it's a big deal for the team. They've never gone past the stage they're about to face, and this year, there's no diminished competition like in 2021.
Clarke has yet to announce his team, and we will likely have to wait for the outcome of who Scotland will face in the next phase of the tournament. Today, we'll discuss the current standings and analyze the players’ performances and take a shot at who will land a spot in the squad. .
Who's qualified for Euro 2024 So Far?
The 2024 Euros will be hosted by Germany and multiple teams have already qualified. Among the teams that have a slot include, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, Albania, Croatia, Czechia, England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and our homeboys, Scotland. However, there are still three slots available as we await the results of the playoffs. .
The play-offs are scheduled for March and will add the three qualified teams to the fourth pot alongside Italy, Serbia, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Scotland is in the third pot with the Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Croatia.
Scotland's Euro Qualifications
After kicking off the Euro qualifiers back in March, the Tartan Army's favourite kickers have been the second-best behind Spain. Spain won all their matches, clearly dominating the A group. Cyprus has lost all eight matches, and Georgia only won once.
The second spot to Germany was then a dispute between Norway and Scotland. Both teams accumulated three wins. However, Norway had lost two encounters and needed a big victory against Scotland to hope for a seat in the plane.
Scotland kept their head high after the game ended in a draw . While the result may be a disappointment, it could have been worse, with a loss.
Scotland's Encounter With Norway is Worrying
After a high-stakes and high-tension game against Norway, Scotland has qualified for Euro 2024 with a nail-biting draw. The game ended with three a side on the scoreboard, despite the odds being in Scotland's favour, and allowed them to move to the next step of the competition. Despite the players proudly wearing "we're off to Germany" t-shirts to celebrate their qualification, this didn't quite ring as an achievement, even though it didn't reach the drama of the match against Georgia.
Thankfully, this match was nothing but a formality for the Scottish, since they did the work early on. However, if Norway can put them in such a position, there will be a lot of work for the rest of the competition, and this brings us to Clarke's choice. A choice that will undoubtedly make or break the team's chances.
Clarke's Choice: To Play or Not To Play
Among the players he has at his disposal, Steve Clarke will need to make choices, and not easy ones either. We can already speculate that Stuart Armstrong will not warm the bench, and his duo with John McGinn makes these two the stars of the selection.
Mohamed Elyounoussi made his entry in the second half as a substitute, and the coordination between him and Julian Ryerson gave the team another goal. We can then assume that this was a successful test for the player, even though he's no Kenny Dalglish at the moment. Still, we're likely to see him again on the grass.
Likewise, Jacob Brown has played 94 minutes since arriving in 2021, and his presence has been quite helpful to the team. Even though he struggled and lacked the level of polish to finish some daring actions. Apparently, a lot of faith has been put in Zander Clark as well since he kicked off his fourth match for the team against Norway. It leads us to believe it's proof the manager relies on him. However, more players could be called up, and it's still up for interpretation at this point.
A Decisive Draw Awaits
Even though we can speculate, and some theories are more likely than others, nothing is set in stone, and we'll only be able to see more clearly once the draw happens. The draw for Euro 2024 will occur in December, and by this time, not all qualified teams will show. There are still three teams set to join, thanks to the play-offs. These play-offs will take place in March 2024, which is a mere few months away, and give an extra shot to teams who missed their shot, like Wales, Ukraine, Finland, Kazakhstan, and Israel.
The teams have been divided into four pots with six teams. Scotland is in the third pot with Slovakia, Netherlands, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Croatia. It's not the most competitive pool if you compare it to the first pot, which has teams like France or Germany, and it's possibly one of the best pots to be right now. In pot 1, nothing is certain, but in pot 4, Italy is clearly the favourite, with the only foreseeable threat being Serbia so far.
Can Scotland Pass The Pot Phase?
Even though Scotland is in a relatively easy group compared to group 1, let's not forget that the team will have to contend with some serious teams. Croatia and the Netherlands, for example, are significant obstacles, and this time draws won't cut it. Everyone in the group wants to defend Scotland, but Clarke must choose only the best. Those who proved they could handle themselves and bring something to the team.
It's now all up to Clarke to make the right moves to solidify his team and adapt his strategies to these teams, which have a lot of strengths and exceptional players, all of which have proved their efficiency in the past. With that, here’s a cheers of good luck to those who will represent our nation!