FOR the first time since Euro 96, England and Scotland will clash at a major tournament this Friday. The footballing rivalry between these two nations goes back further than any other in the international game, giving this particular fixture a certain historical context unmated at this summer’s European Championships.
While England come into this game on the back of a 1-0 win over Croatia, Scotland must make amends for a disappointing 2-0 loss to Czech Republic. There may be a gulf in individual quality between these two teams, but Gareth Southgate and his players can’t afford to take their rivals lightly.
What sort of team are they?
Scotland currently boast their strongest group of players in at least two decades. Indeed, Steve Clarke has a squad full of Premier League talent who English football fans will know well – Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Che Adams, Stuart Armstrong, Billy Gilmour, Ryan Fraser.
Whether or not Tierney is fit to feature against England will have a big bearing on the sort of threat Scotland pose. Without the Arsenal man to bring the ball out from the back and provide forward trust there’s a risk Scotland could be somewhat one-dimensional, as they were in their opening Euro 2020 fixture.
Clarke will likely start Adams alongside Lyndon Dykes to prevent the Queens Park Rangers frontman from being isolated. Scotland were too reliant on Dykes as a targetman against Czech Republic and must do more to move the ball through the midfield and into the final third if they are to truly trouble the Auld Enemy at Wembley.
Who are their key players?
Robertson produced one of his best performances in a Scotland shift against Czech Republic and Clarke will need more of the same from his captain at Wembley. If Tierney is once again sidelined through injury, Clarke might drop McTominay back into the three-man central defensive unit to help bring the ball out, something Scotland struggled to do on Monday.
McGinn tends to be deployed in a more advanced role for Scotland than is the case for Aston Villa, with the 26-year-old the top scorer in the current squad. It will be on him and Adams to provide the visitors to Wembley with goal threat on Friday night, with Dykes likely to be deployed as an attacking apex to play off.
Against Czech Republic, Scotland were too reluctant to break the lines of transition. This is why someone like Fraser or James Forrest is expected to start on the right side over the limited Stephen O’Donnell. This pace will be crucial to Scotland’s game plan against an England team that will likely dominate possession.
The last time Scotland played in the Euros, some of their current squad weren't even born.
The perfect opportunity to make it count… pic.twitter.com/9pENJKU17G
— COPA90 (@Copa90) June 14, 2021
Why should England be worried?
Some instances of English arrogance have been noted north of the border ahead of this fixture. One tabloid newspaper headline – ‘Och aye the who?’ – prodded Scotland for their perceived lack of household names, the irony being they boast a squad full of Premier League talent. Another talking head on a podcast claimed England should be looking to score “six or seven” against the Auld Enemy.
If England start Friday’s game with this sort of complacency, they could be in for a nasty shock. Not only are Scotland at their strongest, in terms of personnel, for two decades, they have found a system that manages to get the best out of their players, and makes some of the area where Clarke doesn’t have so many options.
Scotland can’t allow England to control the centre of midfield. It seems likely that the hosts will see more of the ball, but Scotland mustn’t be passive. Clarke used the warm-up friendly against the Netherlands as a tactical testing ground ahead of Friday’s clash against the Auld Enemy, with Scotland successfully pressing high when out of possession. More of that will be required at Wembley.
The partnership between Robertson and Tierney, if fit, could expose any space left between England’s centre backs, whether they are in a back three or not, and the right back, or right wing back. Indeed, Tierney’s charging runs forward and combination play with Robertson has become a key feature of Scotland’s play under Clarke.
England would be wise to target Scotland’s right side, where Clarke’s team are far weaker than they are on the left. The onus will be on Luke Shaw, or whoever plays on the left side of defence, to carry the ball up the pitch and open up pockets of space. If that doesn’t happen, Scotland will stand a better chance of holding their opponents at arm’s length.
Score prediction: England 2-0 Scotland (23/5)
For Scotland, so much depends on whether or not Tierney will be fit enough to play. If he features, England should prepare for a dynamic opponent that could overload their midfield and defence. If he doesn’t, this could be a backs-to-the-wall mission for Scotland.
