Next stop Tel Aviv - Israel v Scotland

0762 · 26-03-2021, 15:23

I must say this fixture is becoming a difficult one to predict and I reckon the main reason for that is the fact that Scotland don't score many goals in matches v Israel (or most other teams for that matter!) as both coaches and players have become familiar with what they are taking on in a tactical sense. We sadly don't have a true prolific scorer and that is a big miss TBF!! Israel lost 0-2 v a vg team, Denmark, in their opening group match. Scotland need to emulate that result in order to maintain a serious interest in this group. Fingers crossed that the guys "show up" and maintain good form - no slip ups like the last visit to Israel!!

hibeejim21 · 28-03-2021, 20:15

Che Adams, McGregor and Fraser start ..... Christie,Armstrong and Dykes drop to the bench.

0762 · 28-03-2021, 20:39

Aye. Looks like Steve Clarke sticking to "three at the back", three CBs which looks solid enough although we somehow need to feed our strikers further up the pitch. Moldova beaten 8-0 by Denmark this afternoon. Therefore a win would be very welcome.

hibeejim21 · (This post was last modified: 28-03-2021, 21:36 by hibeejim21.)

This has been shite so far.... No one has really turned up apart from Adams. Referee has been a tadger as well.

Marshall looking not too clever for the goal 1-0 Israel H/T.

0762 · (This post was last modified: 28-03-2021, 23:10 by 0762.)

By gum! Clarke got his tactics horribly wrong in that 1st half - far too narrow with lotsa anonymous Scot players and the worst moment to concede the 1st goal just before HT!! Deja vu, bloody awful and any fool could see that goal was coming! That error no doubt acknowledged at HT, Christie on for one CB, Hendry, a "change of shape" and Scotland far more threatening from the start of the second half esp on the flanks and hey presto - 1-1 due to a vg equalising goal by Fraser!!
FT 1-1 and in summary - what an annoying match!!! A tactical gaffe by Clarke and too much respect shown to Israel in the 1st half - proved the enormity of that error in the second half. Also nae top strikers tae finish them as usual and I must say WTF is wrong with Christie these days?? A great chance to score and his timing to truly hit a baw accurately and score was dreadful AGAIN!!! Thumb down

Four pts dropped in the 1st two World Cup qualifiers - IMO a "mountain to climb" already!!!
Lastly, I must say Tierney again showing he is a top player and this time showing how versatile he is in accommodating a revised formation and doing it effectively.

ritchiebaby · 29-03-2021, 00:08

Usual Israel v Scotland match, showing we're just not quite good enough. To have any chance of progressing, we must better Denmark in the games against The Faroes and Moldova. And that will mean loads of goals. I'm not sure where they're going to come from, but we need them more than ever.

hibeejim21 · (This post was last modified: 29-03-2021, 00:55 by hibeejim21.)

In isolation a point out there isn't too bad a result, just after the Austria game we prob needed to go and win it.
1st half was poor, very flat and standing off them - McGregor,mctominay and Mcginn were all rotten. Still think Marshall should have saved that shot tae.

After the interval it was better, apart from our inability to produce decent crosses. The boy Adams played really well I thought, I can see him getting among the goals and he can hold it up well. No idea why Stevie took him off. Tierney played well in the CB role even though he doesn't really have the height for it and is better at LB, he's a stronger all round defender than some make out though.

Robertson was ropey again tonight, he seems incapable of advancing the ball when the opposition get tight to him. He needed to be better tonight.