Scotland picked up their first three points of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a confident performance against Georgia. Gordon Strachan hailed it as a the best win since taking the job and, considering the standard of their play for the first 70 minutes, they should have triumphed with more comfortable scoreline.
Slow start
Scotland started with an attacking line-up which could easily be described as 2-4-4 when in possession. Steven Naismith started behind Steven Fletcher but played very close to the Sunderland striker, while the full-backs played very high pushing Ikechi Anya and Shaun Maloney higher.
As expected Georgia, under the watchful eye of the kicker of hoardings Temuri Ketsbaia, were very defensive, adopting a 4-5-1 system having played a back three against Republic of Ireland.
Strachan’s men took time to adapt to Georgia’s plan. Under the former Celtic boss they have been a reactive force. With the likes of Anya, Andy Robertson, Alan Hutton and Scott Brown they pose a potent punch on the counter-attack. But with Georgia sitting very deep Scotland needed to show a different side to their game. Naismith and Fletcher struggled to get involved early on as Georgia’s midfield was compact with depth and breadth making it difficult to play between the lines. It was shaping up to be a frustrating day for the Ibrox crowd.
Full-backs and movement see Scotland threaten
However, after finding their feet Scotland soon played quicker and began moving Georgia around the pitch creating space and openings. James Morrison and Scott Brown helped with this aspect speeding up play with Robertson and Hutton haring forward at any opportunity. It is refreshing to see two of the country’s defenders playing so positively.
Their width made sure Scotland kept the pitch as wide as possible, key when up against a compact and stuffy midfield and defence. They added numbers to the midfield and were often left free with Georgia adopting such a narrow structure. Hutton was one of the team’s best performers and linked effectively with Shaun Maloney. The ex-Celtic man began to cause trouble by moving laterally across the pitch. He was more adept at finding space and taking the ball on the move. On the other side, Anya driving role was diminished but that was down to the effect Robertson has driving from deep. Yet he managed to showcase other aspects of his game becoming more involved in the build-up.
The pressure started to mount around the 20th minute with Brown unsurprisingly leading the way by making a wide run to force a corner. Then he was involved in Scotland’s best move until that point with himself, Robertson, Anya and Naismith playing keep ball before picking up the pace. Anya found Naismith in space, who fed the darting Maloney who in turn set up Anya for a blocked effort which went for a corner. It was this type of move which enthused Strachan and showed Scotland have an intricate side to their game.
That corner led to another before Robertson picked up on the ball wide on the left to deliver a cross which eventually fell to the feet of Maloney and found its way into the back of net via deflection or two.
Robertson’s crossing ability is something which has come to the fore this season. Watching him first hand at Hull was an eye opener on his confidence in hitting a cross first time. He tempts goalkeepers to come for the ball as he swings it towards them before it swings away.
Marshall’s quiet afternoon
As an attacking force Georgia offered nothing in the first half. They had one forward and no midfielder appeared keen on breaking forward when they did have possession.
In the second half there was only one chance created through smart play. Before that however, Grant Hanley let in an opponent when misjudging a long ball, while Robertson’s poor clearance from a long ball nearly caused danger only for the Hull City man to make a swift recovery. Their best moment was when they attacked the space in behind Hutton. Brown wasn’t quite quick enough to get over and cover before four opponents were pulled to the ball letting substitute Irakli Dzaria a presentable chance which he skewed wide.
This is a facet of the full-backs positivty that may concern Strachan the most when up against more forward thinking opposition.
Naismith and Fletcher
It would have been an equaliser which was not deserved. Scotland should have killed the game off, if not in the first half, then certainly the second. Both Fletcher and Naismith were wasteful. The latter is beginning to resemble Kenny Miller in front of goal, with his scruffy finishing when presented with good chances.
His all-round play was good, although such is his industrious talents that against Georgia he probably wasn’t the best option to play as a second striker or number 10. He isn’t the type who is going to pierce a tight opposition defence. He is poor at taking the ball on the move or on the turn which is crucial when the opposition offer up little space, a lot of the time he was simply passing back. But he was always looking to get involved in the play which helped Scotland dominate possession in the Georgia half, while also giving Fletcher someone to link with which they did effectively.
Fletcher came into the game more in the second 45 minutes, while displaying good feet around the box in both halves. He will have been disappointed not to get on the score sheet with the tantalising crosses that were being put in from the wide areas. He will have done enough to make sure he is involved from the start against Gibraltar and most likely away to Georgia. However, can he display the enthusiasm and sacrifice himself for the team away to Poland and against Germany and probably the Republic of Ireland games the way Naismith does?
While the final score should have been more flattering it is understandable why Strachan was gushing in his praise of the team. The display was one of vigour which combined the pace and tempo which Scottish fans appreciate with the patient possession play which is needed at the top to qualify for the European Championships. It could be argued that he now has eight players who could be termed indispensable, while he now knows the team possesses the flexibility required depending on who the opponents are.
Written by Joel Sked
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