Scotland rally together for do-or-die Croatia clash

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Scottish football rarely expects. After so many false dawns and near misses over the last 23 years, expectation has become a nebulous concept. On Monday morning, you could understand why.

A day out from Scotland’s final Group D match, with progression to the last 16 of Euro2020 in their hands against an under-performing Croatia, and buoyed by their valiant performance against England, news came of a sizeable blow. Billy Gilmour, player of the match at Wembley, had tested positive for Covid-19.

The 20-year-old’s competitive debut on Friday was further confirmation of his talents and hinted at a new beginning. Energetic and comfortable in possession, he was the brightest spot in an otherwise drab 0-0. Even the rain seemed to evade him as he recycled possession, sprung the odd attack and played forward in a team long criticised for being too static on the ball.

Here he was, this slight boy with a thick accent, dropped into the biggest game of his career and thriving like it was already one of many. It was easy to turn your nose up at the wild celebrations after a goalless draw. But as much as this was glee at disappointing the Auld Enemy, it was an appreciation of Gilmour’s arrival and what it suggested. Not just for the long-term but the coming week.

So we must ask – how’s your luck, Scotland fans? Well, you know, don’t you? Even as Glasgow steamed well beyond Friday’s 10pm curfew, the sore heads on Saturday would have held fear for Tuesday. The lot of even the most privileged football fan is to lament your misfortune, no matter how infrequent. A prerequisite of belonging to the Tartan Army is to expect the worst through ingrained, generational experience, even when presented with reasons to believe.

Perhaps, though, this might be an example of how the Scottish Football Association got ahead of any potential hex. The national team have been based at Rockliffe Hall, just outside of Darlington in the northeast of England, despite two of their three group games taking place at Hampden Park.

The original reasons were understandable: by the time they had confirmed their participation in the European Championships, Czech Republic and Croatia had already booked the best local joints in Edinburgh and St Andrews, respectively. But Gilmour’s situation has unearthed an unintended positive of their location.

Had they been in Scotland for the positive test, the knock-on effect for the rest of the group would have been catastrophic. As it happens, Public Health England’s less stringent coronavirus protocols means there were no identified close contacts. Later on Monday, the English FA released a statement confirming all 26 squad members, and support staff, had tested negative in the latest round of tests, though Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount who embraced Gilmour at full-time - the closest England players got to him on the pitch - are isolating as a precautionary measure.

Maybe it is a stretch to use this as an example of how no caber has been left untossed. But it is one of a few silver linings from news that could have derailed a campaign just leaving the station. With Gilmour in a staggered middle three with Callum McGregor and John McGinn, Scotland smothered England while embracing some midfield dynamism of their own. One to be harnessed against a Croatia midfield full of experience but running on fumes in its two matches so far.

Granted, that’s harder without the composure that underpins Gilmour’s technical ability. But the general fluidity and aggression of pressing, particularly for opposition goal kicks, can be replicated by others. A return to the XI for Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong would work, likewise opting for one of the Celtic pair Ryan Christie or David Turnbull. The lack of outright defensive cover from those options mitigated by the need for three points.

It is also worth noting the binding properties brought by Gilmour’s ability aren’t limited to him, or by football at all. The togetherness of this Scotland set-up is as real as it ever has been: led by captain Andy Robertson, whose world-beating seasons at Liverpool have not dulled his sense of national duty. Many within the group highlight his efforts in making newcomers feel comfortable. That Scotland’s best player takes such a keen interest in helping them bed in has been an example to follow.

Arguably the biggest beneficiary is not Gilmour but the man on the opposite flank to Robertson. Motherwell right-back Stephen O’Donnell was pegged by many as a weak link. Thus, upon the opening 2-0 defeat to Czech Republic, there was only going to be one scapegoat, even if goalkeeper David Marshall took some of the heat over his positioning for Patrick Schick’s wonder strike.

It instigated both an internal and external rally around O’Donnell. And after the 29-year-old quelled any threat down his side against England, sprung intermittent ventures forward with cross-field balls and nearly found the only goal of the game with a volley after a run from deep, his name was on the lips of every player and staff in the media rounds that followed.

Head coach Steve Clarke rated his performance above Gilmour’s. Robertson, similarly, heaped praise on his teammate immediately after the match after helping O’Donnell deal with the Czech fallout. Columnists and social media in Scotland followed suit. The feeling north of the border is one of broader unity for the common good, at least until Tuesday’s result calls for colder critiques.

That’s not to say there is blind optimism heading into the Croatia match. Scotland still haven’t scored in two games, and no amount of goodwill can make up for a lack of cutting edge up front. And it is worth noting Croatia’s best threat has come down O’Donnell’s side, where Ivan Perisic cut in and finished to equalise against Czech Republic having been moved to that side in the second-half. O’Donnell remains a target to exploit.

Croatia’s issues are clear: a shadow of their former selves in part because of Zlatko Dalic persisting with stars over system, typified by the use of Ante Rebic up front when most of his good work for AC Milan last season came from out wide. The prevailing sense back home is that Tuesday could unequivocally mark the end of the generation that took them to the 2018 World Cup final in dispiriting fashion.

But their quality, to a man, is superior, and the likelihood of extending their stay in the competition all the better for this one-off, do-or-die encounter. Croatia have the personnel, Scotland the perseverance and sense of purpose. Though the latter seems worth more right now, only so much of either will make a difference come 8pm.