Joel Sked analyses Scotland’s defeat to Georgia which puts qualification for the European Championships in jeopardy.
Déjà vu. Qualification for the European Championships is in sight after a good display in a tricky group. A win in Georgia would see Scotland in the driving seat to reach their first finals since 1998. Eight years ago a Scotland team featuring David Weir, Barry Ferguson . . . and Graeme Murty went to Georgia with confidence high following a win over Ukraine in their quest to reach the 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland but fell to a 2-0 defeat.
Eight years on and Scotland headed east with just as much confidence, after all Gordon Strachan’s men had put themselves into an ideal position. Even if some questions could be raised regarding certain tactical and personnel decisions, the only defeat had come against the reigning World Champions. And this time Georgia were at a low ebb, no longer under the management of Temuri Ketsbaia and ranked as the fifth worst European nation, ahead of only Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Malta.
Three points and Scotland would be feeling self-assured of achieving at least a play-off place but with focus shifted to their ‘free swing’ at Germany on Monday and hauling in Poland for an automatic place at the tournament in France. Then Scotland took to the field. Slowly, over 90 minutes, they took the hope of a nation and let Georgia trample over it in Tbilisi as they watched on passively.
Scotland start well
Yet Scotland started with a sureness in their quality. The 4-2-3-1 forced Gerogia back into their 5-4-1. The ball was stroked from side to side, stretching the play laterally, and forward to stretch the play vertically. The most important player early on was Shaun Maloney. As early as the second minute he darted in field to open up space for Alan Hutton on the right wing. The eventual cross was headed out for a corner. A good start.
Maloney was finding space behind the midfield four and away from the wing, drifting into those boxes where opposition players are unsure whose responsibility it is to pick up. In the 13th minute he was able to turn, drive before a fine slide tackle prevented a shot on goal. That came five minutes after Steven Fletcher had released him in behind the Georgia backline only for a linesman’s flag to rule him offside. A tight call.
While Maloney found space in front of the Georgian defence, Steven Naismith was finding areas down the sides of the centre back trio. Two or three times he got into good positions only to overrun the ballot be squeezed out.
Scotland were up against an unusual formation. Georgia themselves took time to adjust to the demands of the system. The midfield four were playing narrow which offered the Scottish full-backs forward. The Georgian left-back Giorgi Navalovski was prone to tucking in tight to the left sided centre back which allowed Hutton to run with his head down and send in a couple of attack-worthy crosses. On the other side Ikechi Anya penned Ucha Lobzhanidze back giving Andy Robertson time to pick out team mates. One cross just drifted over Naismith, while a sublime curling cross/pass was touched wide by Fletcher who went for it with his wrong foot. It would prove to be a turning point.
Georgia take the lead
Scotland, for the first 30 minutes, were the better side but there were signs that the Georgians were better than their current rankings state – there is an actual process to the FIFA rankings, in between the organisation portraying Dr Evil in Austin Powers. Twice they should their capability at moving forward with pace in the counter-attack. Once in the third minute when six Scotland players were caught ahead of the ball and another when Maloney was tackled when he looked to cut in field.
They grew in confidence and had spells of possession where they looked neat and tidy but played slowly and in front of Scotland. The beginnings of these periods of possession displayed an issue Scotland would have to contend with in the second half as they chased shadows. The four man midfield played narrow, encouraging the full-backs to play like wing-backs. They would often be free for a switch of play.
In the 34th minute Scotland were sent a warning when a long pass to Levan Mchedlidze was knocked down to Valeri Qazaishvili but his effort lacked any conviction. It would be the same combination which would open the scoring for the home side, who had only picked up points against Gibraltar. The backline made a mess of clearing an awkward bouncing ball before the Georgian captain clipped a ball into Mchedlidze. Strong and mobile, he held off Charlie Mulgrew and Russel Martin to tee up Qazaishvili. This time the number 8 bided his time, stayed composed and shifted the ball onto his left foot and then into the bottom corner.
Mulgrew was unable to get out to him to convincingly shut him down while Brown was still retreating. Out of possession, James Morrison and Brown were having difficulties confronting the midfield four meaning there was space between the lines.
The worst 45 minutes
Simply put, the second half was one of the worst 45 minutes of football served up by Scotland in recent times. There were periods in the first half where the game descended into pre-season pace and it was at that pace which Scotland continued. The longer the game went on the slower Scotland played.
When Scotland played with a modicum of intensity in the first half they pinned Georgia back. The second half was an embarrassment. Fletcher, who has started the game well, spent his time chasing his first touch or sweeping over his fake Donald Trump hairstyle. Anya continued to run down blind alleys, well marshalled by the Georgian defence. Naismith was anonymous, while Maloney was the most likely to produce, turning inside to find Fletcher was flagged for another offside.
The worst of the lot however was the midfield duo. James Morrison, now an established player in the English Premier League, was left flustered by the slightest pressure or failing to make the simplest of passes. David Marshall was forced into a save from Mchedlidze after Morrison was caught in possession before a poor pass led to Mchedlidze slamming a shot into the side net as Hutton and Brown tried to catch him. Other than James Forrest’s shimmy, dash, shimmy, dash, shimmy, dash ‘you’re out the field, mate’, the most amusing moment was Hutton and Brown in pursuit of Mchedlidze. They looked like they were wading nervously through the Amazon.
Brown was arguably the biggest disappointment. It has not been a good start to the season for the Celtic midfielder. He has been troubled by injury but there was a lack of the fury and vigour he brings to the big games. He looked off the pace unable to snap into challenges.
It was galling that Georgia, who had a lead to protect and were not playing for qualification at stake, were more forceful with the ball and had a greater ferocity to win it back. With the full-backs pushed up and Mchedlidze occupying the centre backs with his selfless running, they out numbered Scotland in midfield. All four midfielders were comfortable with the ball and were able to shift it to their open wide men.
Strachan’s substitutions can only be labelled as baffling. Mulgrew to left-back and Robertson off. Leigh Griffiths only awarded 15 minutes. Naismith off instead of Fletcher. He may have had an anonymous second half but he has arguably been the most effective striking option under Strachan in terms of the team. Personally I would have kept Robertson on and shifted Maloney to drift from the left, Forrest stretching the game on the right and Griffiths and Naismith trying to get down the sides of the centre backs. Yet, nothing changed. Everything was predictable which turned the Georgian defence into Helenio Herrera’s catenaccio masters.
Scotland finished without a shot on target, while their shot at the European Championships left in a delicate state. When it mattered, Scotland failed to produce. There was no late surge, no controversy to fall back on. Just a meek performance against an inferior side who were better on the night. A side who looked like they were playing for a chance to spend their summer in France