Steve Clarke admitted he should take a look at his personal shortcomings as supervisor after a dismal show noticed Scotland relegated to the second tier of the Nations League by Greece.
Holding a 1-0 benefit from the primary leg, Scotland struggled to get going because the guests scored twice via Giannis Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas earlier than half-time. Christos Tzolis put the match past the house aspect’s attain within the opening moments of the second interval.
Clarke, whose crew had been booed off at half-time and full-time, says he’ll now spend the three months earlier than June’s friendlies with Iceland and Liechtenstein figuring out what precisely went incorrect.
‘Greece had been the higher crew on the night time,’ the supervisor conceded. ‘We began okay, had one or two half probabilities.
‘They rating with their first assault. We didn’t get again behind the ball fast sufficient and we didn’t create sufficient — that provides as much as a disappointing night time.
‘I’ll go away and take a look at myself to see what I may have carried out higher. Perhaps I didn’t make sufficient rotations. Perhaps I may have made extra modifications to freshen the crew up.
Steve Clarke can hardly watch as his crew are taken aside by Greece within the Nations League
Ryan Christie was the one change to the Scotland aspect who received the primary leg in Piraeus
Midfielder John McGinn described Scotland’s 3-0 defeat at Hampden as ’embarrassing’
‘We’ve got to analyse it, park this event as a result of we go all the way down to League B, and attempt to do higher.’
Clarke, whose crew are set to face the Greeks within the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, mentioned: ‘I talked earlier than the sport about setting down a marker. I feel Greece have carried out that tonight.
‘We’ve discovered that, after we do every part proper, with the ball and with out the ball, we’re a very good crew at this stage.
‘We’ve acquired two friendlies in June to organize for the World Cup qualifiers within the autumn.’
Having received the primary leg in Piraeus final Thursday, Clarke made only one change to his aspect for the return leg, with Ryan Christie displacing Lewis Ferguson.
The supervisor conceded that his reluctance to shuffle his pack to a better extent might have been a think about a poor show.
Requested if he ought to have made extra modifications, he replied: ‘It’s doable. With hindsight, every part is feasible.
‘The boys assured me they had been all match and nicely. I feel the primary aim gave them (Greece) a carry. It was actually their first harmful foray ahead they usually scored with that. After that it turned a protracted night time for us. I may have carried out with a couple of extra legs, to be trustworthy.’
After going 4 video games unbeaten, the dismal efficiency of Clarke’s gamers noticed them booed off the park.
Though the supervisor is contracted till subsequent 12 months’s World Cup, the embarrassing nature of this defeat will inevitably place a query mark in opposition to his future once more.
Requested what he manufactured from the followers’ response, he added: ‘I didn’t actually discover them, to be trustworthy. I’m targeted on different issues aside from what the supporters are doing. I at all times have been.
‘We’ve got had an honest run. This can be a bump within the street. If there may be one factor I’ve discovered over my time accountable for the nationwide crew it’s there are bumps within the street.
‘It’s the way you react to it and we’ve got to react to this one and ensure that come June we all know what we are attempting to handle and are available September we all know what we are attempting to do which is qualify for the World Cup.’
Requested if he agreed with John McGinn’s post-match evaluation that the show had been ‘embarrassing’, Clarke replied: ‘No. After my time within the recreation it’s higher to not use these form of phrases. It’s higher to have a look at our efficiency and be goal about it.
‘We didn’t have sufficient power within the crew, Greece had extra power and had been a bit sharper. So, the perfect crew received on the night time.
‘I wasn’t overly disillusioned with the defenders. I assumed the again 4 did fairly okay. I used to be disillusioned with the defending of the crew. We didn’t defend as a crew.
‘On Thursday night time in Greece, we defended as a crew from again to entrance. That’s the reason we acquired punished (tonight).’
