Two minutes to go in Dortmund, and the world champions are taking it to the corner. They’re desperate for the final whistle against us – little old us – such is the pressure that Scotland have exerted in the second half. But, in the end, Germany get their three points, and Scotland get none. Now the dust has settled and throats have shown signs of healing up from the weekend, it is still fair to argue Scotland played with tremendous gumption and no small amount of skill. And yet, they still ended up with familiarly few tangible rewards.
Not that I’m arguing the performance wasn’t at least encouraging. Although, you could argue that not everyone was at their peak, some fine displays were turned in. Without wishing to get giddily swept up in Anyamania, those of the wide midfielders were probably most pleasing. The goalscorer and Bannan juxtapose each other so well. The latter so intelligently resourceful in possession, particularly when the team are hurriedly trying to convert a clearance into a meaningful attack, the former devastatingly quick and threatening on the counter, they are two players who suit the style Strachan has imposed on these types of matches perfectly. One tucking in to support the central players, the other exploiting width. One composed, one explosive. It seems to give the team a curiously asymmetrical balance.
They weren’t the only strong performers. Steven Naismith’s form continues to impress beyond levels many would have imagined him capable of. He has been excellent for the national side for well over a year now, particularly ploughing that lone furrow on his own up front. Mobile, tenacious and counter-intuitively strong in the air, he is exactly the type of striker Scotland need in these scenarios. If only he had finished his one clear-cut opportunity. Combine this with the more languid guile that Steven Fletcher offered in his substitute appearance, then there appears to be a decent range of skills available in attacking areas.
It was convenient too, that the German players seemed as petrified of Alan Hutton as many Scotland supporters are. His defensive unorthodoxies pushed to one side, when he is in full charge-mode down the right, he is a difficult force to deal with. He and Anya made a fine job of wriggling through gaps in the German full-back areas. And while Hanley and Marin are not without limitations, it was a decent test of how far their partnership has developed, one which you could scarcely say they failed.
For all that though, it always feels a bit hollow to come across as overwhelmingly positive after a defeat, even to such a strong side. Anyone old enough to tie shoelaces will have lived through Scotland’s patented brand of spirited near-misses. Many though, have been quick to suggest that this performance, along with the bloated format for the 2016 tournament, is evidence enough to confirm Scotland’s impending qualification. This seems a little premature.
It was arguably as good a time as any to play the Weltmeisterschaft, what with call-offs abound and the natural anti-climax of following an epoch-defining win with a preliminary box-ticking exercise against a bunch of scrawny pale folk. Not that I deliberately want to take the shine off of any apparent encouragement, but if they were ever to be run close, it was in this fixture.
And while there were plenty of strong performances, there is also room for improvement. Ball retention was, perhaps understandably, pretty rough around the edges in the first half, and the goals would have been frustrating to concede against any team, never mind Germany. The second was agonising, watching the ball rattle about the penalty area without anyone able to get a clean boot to it. Yes, I do have impeccably high standards, thanks for asking.
Although Sunday’s game serves in some ways as a glowing testament to the current side’s character – suffice to say conceding an opener to the world champions in the first half hour would be cause for recent Scotland teams to forgo the remainder of the match – it isn’t necessarily transferable. If it is 0-0 with 20 minutes to go at Ibrox against Georgia, or if they’re under the cosh against Ireland, we will see a far more relevant and enduring test of fortitude. Certainly, hailing a good underdog performance as ‘brave’ or any variation thereof is as misleading as it is unfair on the technical proficiency of those involved.
Most importantly this tells us little about the matches which will define the qualification campaign, against teams of a roughly comparable level. Scotland will have to take greater initiative in these home fixtures, starting against Georgia in October, a role which has always seemed a little ill-fitting. Not that Strachan hasn’t had a chance to make plans for such scenarios in his reign thus far, but only now is there something at stake.
It was an heartening showing – the graze down my right leg from the Westfalenstadion’s safe-standing is testament to the spontaneous cheerfulness that an equaliser against the world’s finest can provoke – but careful not to hail it as anything more. There are more telling, less self-gratifying measures on the horizon. These, rather than Sunday’s match, will dictate the success or failure of the qualification campaign. If by the turn of the year Scotland are still playing with the same confidence and positive style, it might just be time to believe a little more.
In addition to his work for The Terrace, John Callan is also the editor of Seagulls and Ricochets. A blog that covers football across Europe.
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