Scotland boss Craig Levein insists his players will get their World Cup hopes back on track by beating Macedonia in tonight’s potentially make-or-break qualifier at Hampden.
After a stuttering start on the road to Rio at the weekend, Levein has issued a rallying call for everyone to get behind his charges as they go in search of three crucial points this evening.
The under-pressure Scotland boss branded the reaction from some quarters to Saturday’s 0-0 home draw with Serbia as over the top, and remains convinced his side can kick-start their campaign with victory tonight.
”Nobody is more aware of the fact we need the three points in this game than me,” Levein said. ”I was a wee bit annoyed about the kind of hysterical reaction after Saturday there are 30 points to play for, we got one on Saturday and there are still 27 to play for.
”It’s more about what happens at the end of it than what happens now and there’s got to be some sort of understanding that it’s a long haul.
”It would have been great to get three points on Saturday but we didn’t. Now it’s about what happens in Tuesday night’s game and there’s a scenario that’s not too far fetched that we could go top of the group.
”We’ve got a long way to go and for me it’s about being calm and dealing with each situation that comes along. It’s about keeping everybody focused on each particular game and not letting too many things interfere.”
He added: ”In an ideal world, for our players to play at their best they need confidence. Confidence comes from results but it also comes from knowing that people are backing you and supporting you.
”Our supporters have been different class and I’ve absolutely no problems with reporters forming an opinion and writing what they want.
”I’ve been manager at Hearts, at Dundee United, everywhere, and there are games when your supporters will come along and they feel frustrated. That happens.
”My job is to try and keep everybody focused and it would be brilliant if everybody was thinking the same things and trying to do the same things.
”If it doesn’t work then the end result will be what it will be but I thought it was an over-reaction to what I thought was a decent enough performance.”
Continued…
Levein came in for criticism on Saturday for not making changes earlier in the game, although the Scotland boss remained defiant and felt the chances were there for his side.
“The more I watch it, the happier I am,” he explained. “We looked at a whole raft of things but importantly we looked at how we created our chances and then more importantly how we got into the positions we wanted to get into, and that little final ball across goal or whatever it was.
“The hard work was done but just a little bit more concentration was required to create more opportunities.
“If you go back to the Czech Republic game, the 2-2 at Hampden, we got a bit of a doing and scored two goals. The stats were against us but on Saturday all the stats were for us and that for me is a progression we just didn’t score the goals.
“Ultimately the point is an important point, it might be the point that makes the difference, and I don’t honestly think it was a bad result and certainly it wasn’t a bad performance.
“I know what the lads will be like on Tuesday they’ll give 100% I know what the supporters will be like, and all I’m asking for is some sort of recognition that it’s not the be all and end all what happened on Saturday.”
Levein expects a difficult encounter against Macedonia but will select a side to try to win the game.
Having said that, he believes the Macedonians will be content to try to frustrate the Scots and hit on the break with Goran Pandev the man to watch.
With midfielder Charlie Adam and keepers Allan McGregor and Matt Gilks all nursing injuries (Craig Samson was called up as cover), Levein is unlikely to name his starting line-up until this morning at the earliest although he hinted there may be room for the likes of James Forrest and Jamie Mackie, subs on Saturday.
He explained: “I’ve been trying to harness some knowledge about previous double-headers, how the second game has gone including loads of players from the first game, and seeing what the difference is between that and adding fresh players.
“There are certain things about their team that we need, certain types of players to take advantage of. We need to keep the tempo as high as possible because we’ll play against a packed defence and a counter-attacking team.
“This game is a game we definitely want to win. Whether it’s won in the first or the last minute is irrelevant, but we have to make sure that in the last 10 to 15 minutes we’ve still got enough energy to win the game.”
It appears unlikely Tartan Army favourite Jordan Rhodes will start.
Levein stated: “In time, Jordan will start regularly but my job is to have a level-headed look at things. I’ve got guys playing in the Premiership who are experienced and have been over the course before, so there’s an element of me having to have a steady hand and make what I consider the right decisions.”