By Laurie Finlayson

Scotland’s 2-1 victory over Poland was bittersweet for the Tartan Army, with the team unbeaten in three but facing a playoff to stay at Europe’s top table.

Bouncing back from a summer of strife

This summer’s European Championships were a missed opportunity – failing to taste victory in Germany. After exiting with something of whimper, many fans called for manager Steve Clarke to be relieved of his duties. Taking out friendlies, Scotland have, in this break, come off the back of a 14-month winless run. Throughout that stretch, Scotland did play against the likes of France non-competitively, perhaps testing themselves in preparation of being in League A of the UEFA Nations League.

The summer’s glorious failure coupled with significant injuries forced Clarke into a change of strategy – his Scotland side had become known for their narrow back five formation, with no out-and-out wide men and Kieran Tierney operating as an overlapping centre-back. With the Arsenal man being unavailable after hurting himself on international duty in Germany, Clarke, a former full-back himself, reverted to a more traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, which has allowed for more positive, forward-thinking play in the Nations League.

This change in formation has allowed a new Scottish starlet to emerge: Ben Doak. The Liverpool youngster, who is currently on loan at English Championship side Middlesbrough. His electrifying acceleration has added a different dimension to Scotland’s attack – a threat from wide, which perhaps the team’s previous narrow shape lacked.

For a while, the Tartan Army have clamoured for the introduction of the 19-year-old Ayrshireman. Clarke remained patient with the young wing wizard, but after biding his time, he earned his first Scotland start away to Croatia last month, where he impressed despite the team falling to a narrow defeat in Zagreb. Since then, he has steadily improved – standing out against Portugal and Croatia at Hampden – playing a pivotal role in setting up John McGinn’s late winner in the latter, in what was the team’s first competitive win of 2024. He repeated that trick again in Warsaw, albeit this time being credited with the assist.

Soon, the Scotland boss will have a dilemma as to whether the back four remains in place once Tierney is fit again. If he reverts to type, that would potentially leave Doak in a difficult spot. This may be left-field, but there is an argument for keeping the current shape, having Tierney in his natural position of left-back and captain Andy Robertson pushing forward to the left wing, allowing Doak to roam free on the right flank.

Whether Scotland will remain in League A, or where the World Cup draw lies, it remains to be seen, but things may be looking up for the Tartan Army.