Steve Clarke, Scotland's manager, emerged from a brief period of irritability to declare his side will not merely defend against Brazil but will ask the five-time world champions questions in their crucial Group C World Cup encounter. Speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a 10-hour sleep following a 1-0 defeat to Morocco, Clarke was visibly re-energized and upbeat.
“I'm loving it,” Clarke said, beaming as he addressed reporters after a training session in sweltering conditions. “OK, yes, I was just a bit crabbit yesterday because we lost. But that's just me. That's just the way I deal with things. It’s the same for the players as well.”
The 62-year-old had managed only about four hours of sleep before the Morocco match and three hours afterward, but a full night's rest restored his enthusiasm. “I slept for about four hours before the game, I slept about three hours after the game. Then last night, I slept for 10 hours, and I woke up this morning and I thought, ‘Bring it on, let's go!’”
Clarke's tactical shift and attacking intent
Clarke defended his team's performance against Morocco, noting resilience after conceding an early goal. “To lose one so early was a blow and we had to show a little bit of resilience and ride our luck in the first period,” he said. However, he admitted Scotland struggled to create chances in the final third. “We were good from back to middle and from middle to final third. But we were not so good after that because we didn’t really create any clear chances.”
He revealed that the squad has focused more on attacking play in training, building on a 4-0 win over Bolivia in a pre-tournament friendly. “Since coming to this camp we’ve concentrated more on attacking play then defensive play. We’ve tried to work on that and I think you could see the fruits of it when we played Bolivia,” Clarke said.
“But if I go gung-ho in attack and get beat 4-0 you’ll hang me from that bird’s nest up there!” he joked. “Listen, it’s one of those things. We don’t go into this game thinking ‘let’s get a narrow defeat.’ We go into it thinking, ‘Can we beat Brazil?’ It’s a tough ask but we have to ask that question. And we have to ask that question of Brazil.”
Learning from past tournaments
Clarke acknowledged criticism from fans wary of a repeat of Scotland's early exit at Euro 2024, where a cautious approach against Hungary backfired. “I know how you guys think that’s how we set out to play against Hungary in the last tournament but it wasn’t,” he said. “We spoke more about attacking and trying to create problems in the last game. But by the time we reached the third game at Euro 2024 I think my key players were empty. They didn’t have a lot to give and that was shown in the performance. But I think this time we’re better prepared.”
He dismissed the influence of social media criticism, saying, “Social media? What’s that? I don’t look at that, I really don’t look at it. If I look at that then I could be affected a little bit - and I value my mental health! It’s important I stay reasonably sane.”
Brazil challenge and qualification scenario
Clarke believes a draw against Brazil would almost certainly secure Scotland's progression to the knockout stages. “If we go with that mindset and that mentality then maybe we don’t get the win but we get the draw. Then the draw almost certainly guarantees us a place. Me being me and being pessimistic, maybe it won’t and we’ll still be counting on goals. But I think we’re at the stage where four points would be enough for us and that’s the mentality we have to have.”
He insisted that sitting back to defend is not the plan. “I don’t think we get the draw if we just sit in to defend.” The match against Brazil in Miami represents a bucket-list fixture for Clarke and his squad, who are determined to make an impact.
