Shut Down The Lab

Why Scotland Should Put An End To The Steven Whittaker Left-Back Experiment

The knock on Steven Whittaker going all
the way back to his days at Easter Road is his inability to be a
reliable defender. The marauding full-back’s game has always been
focused on his attacking abilities, where he uses an unorthodox and
awkward running style effectively to wriggle past opponents. But
while coaches haven’t expected him to be a wall at his position, they
have at least wanted him to shed the ‘liability’ tag.

His development
was always expected to be slow. He was a youth team centre midfielder
who Bobby Williamson tried at right-back all the way back in 2002.
When Tony Mowbray arrived two years later he used Whittaker
exclusively at the position. The reasoning was clear. In midfield he
could be a good player. At full-back he could become an outstanding
talent if his defensive skills sharpened with time. There has been
progression, no doubt about it, but not as much as Mowbray envisioned and his managers since have wished.

It doesn’t help that for his country he
has often been asked to play on the opposite flank. Presumably the
logic from the (three different) Scotland bosses is ‘he’s poor
enough defending at right-back, he surely can’t be any worse on the
left’. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The reason he’s been shunted out there
in the first place is that we have three full-backs with good English
Premier League experience (Phil Bardsley and Alan Hutton the other
two) and they are all right-footed. It’s the old international
football conundrum: if you have a wealth of oppositions in one position and a dearth in the other, do you find a lesser rated
player to fill in naturally or do you try to
shoe-horn the more talented members of the squad? On
the evidence available, Scotland should have went with the former in
Whittaker’s case.

The former Rangers defender has played 14
international matches starting in the back four. We shall round this number
up to 15 because he played 75 minutes into a 2-0 win over Macedonia
where he deputised for the injured Callum Davidson. From those 15
games he has played left-back nine times. In those 9 matches,
Scotland have won only twice and Whittaker has been, at least
partially, at fault for five goals.

We’ve outlined them below:

(12th
Oct 2010) Scotland 2-3 Spain; UEFA European Championships
qualifier

Spain’s
first goal comes via the penalty spot after Whittaker is penalised
for handball. There can be no doubting the decision. The ball does
not travel very far before reaching the defender’s arm but it is
clearly in a unnatural position and, despite his protestations, does
not strike his rib cage first.

At
the second goal he briefly switches off and watches the action at the
near post, allowing Andreas Iniesta to take two extra steps towards
the play, away from his marker, and dispatch the ball into the far
corner past a sliding Whittaker who was too late to spot the danger.

He
was later sent off in the match.

(26th
Mar 2013) Serbia 2-0 Scotland; FIFA World Cup qualifier

Initially
he makes a brilliant goal saving block before,
inexplicably, deciding to hook the ball, with his right foot, into
the centre of the penalty area allowing a simple finish to open the
scoring.

(14th
Aug 2013) England 3-2 Scotland; international challenge match

It
is harsh to criticise because Scotland were missing Grant Hanley
(Scott Brown was filling in for the temporarily injured defender at
centre back) at the time but Whittaker is still at fault for the
first goal. He is too concerned with the build up play and isn’t
fully aware of Theo Walcott’s run until the Englishman is two feet
past him. Had he been moving at full speed sooner he would have given himself
a better chance at pressuring Walcott. Thanks to two bad touches from
the Arsenal attacker he does catch up but finds his momentum used
against him when Walcott cuts inside, as Whittaker goes hurtling past, to equalise for the hosts.

(6th
Sep 2013) Scotland 0-2 Belgium; FIFA World Cup qualifier

A
botched attempt at controlling the ball not only presents it to
Marouane Fellaini but leaves Whittaker trailing his marker who then receives the pass from Fellaini and crosses for Steven Defour to score.

It is the last
mistake which is the best example of why the Steven Whittaker
left-back experiment must end. One would assume that a right sided
defender playing at full-back should only have the option of attacking down the wing curtailed by the unnatural fit. Whittaker, even on the other side, likes to
cut into the centre when in possession so this shouldn’t be too much
of a problem. What hasn’t been legislated for is moments like this.
He’s within his right to try and control that interception in an attempt to then launch a counter attack. However, because he is right
footed and his body is naturally slanted inward, his poor touch
returns the ball into a dangerous area. If he were left footed the
bad touch would only have led to a throw-in.

He’s record at
right back in a Scotland shirt is not all that bad – six matches
and four wins – so we’re not advocating the complete removal of the
Norwich City player from the squad. He’s just not
comfortable enough playing on the other side at the highest level of
international football. Some could argue for his inclusion over Hutton, considering their current club football situations, but the former Rangers and Tottenham defender is beginning to find form for his country once again after his fall from grace over the past 18 months. The Whittaker on the left experiment could also be brought back if we once again begin breeding vocal and commanding centre backs who could at least be counted upon to cover for the defensive deficiencies of the outside players, but that is unlikely to happen in the near future. For now, if Hutton is to be the first choice right-back then
Whittaker has to sit on the bench and bide his time.

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