Scotland v Georgia: Sagnol's mind games nonsense, Clarke's selection question, threat of 5, cusp of history

Scotland go in search of history at Hampden Park this evening against Georgia. Never has the national team started a qualifying campaign with four straight wins. Steve Clarke’s men have the opportunity to do just that with Cyprus, Spain and Norway in the rearview mirror.

Doing so would mean another significant step towards Euro 2024 and a party in Germany which Scotland and the Tartan Army have an official invitation to. Should they get there, it would not even be the case of just taking part. Scotland would be attending with the aim of progressing from the group stage for the first time. After all, as things stand, there is a 67 per cent chance the team would be in Pot 1 or 2.

Scotland go into the Georgia match as one of only five teams with a 100 per cent record. A victory would see them join England and France as the only sides with four wins from four.

‘Have to win’

Scotland are on the cusp of making history against Georgia. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Such is the fatalistic nature of the Scottish football fan, amidst the celebrations and ecstasy of the dramatic win over Norway, there were more than few fans suggesting it would be typical of the national team to follow it up by dropping points, even losing, to Georgia. In the past such a situation wouldn’t be so far-fetched. However, this squad of players are different. They should have the nation’s utmost trust. They have continuously unlocked achievements under Clarke. From qualifying for a tournament to putting winning and unbeaten runs together, from evolving to play different systems and different styles, to making Hampden Park a fortress and beating elite nations and now coming from behind in a scenario where the game looked lost to win.

Even if Scotland did fail to win after a gruelling season and 90-plus gruelling minutes in the Oslo heat, there should be no panic. Georgia boss Willy Sagnol tried to apply mind games. “I feel all the pressure is not on our shoulders but it is on Scotland's shoulders because they are playing at home against Georgia and they have to win," the former Bayern Munich and France star said.

Scotland don’t “have to win”. The victory in Oslo assured that. Scotland are in a hugely commanding position where slip-ups, while not welcome, can at least be managed. That’s what the three opening wins have provided. A cushion. A loss or a draw needn’t act as a springboard for drama or crisis. This team have responded to bad results before by putting a run together.

Does Clarke change it?

Georgia boss Willy Sagnol suggested all the pressure is on Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

The starting XI Clarke chooses for tonight intrigues. With Kieran Tierney training on Monday, there appears to be no injury doubts. In normal circumstances you would expect the team to go again with the knowledge there are fresh legs, options and quality on the bench should a change be required. However, as mentioned, it’s June 20 after a long season. Since the start of June 2022, the ten outfield players who started against Norway have played a combined 433 matches for club and country. Clarke would be well within his right to freshen it up.

There are players who, providing they are fit, will play. The names of Angus Gunn, Kieran Tierney, Andy Robertson, Callum McGregor and John McGinn may well be pre-printed on the Scotland team-sheet. There are plenty of options for Clarke to consider for replacements. John Souttar, if fit, could come into the backline and Nathan Patterson at wing-back, should the formation remain the same. The options in the midfield are bountiful. Billy Gilmour is looking back to his best and would provide more control alongside McGregor. It would allow for McTominay to push further up the pitch or for Lewis Ferguson, Stuart Armstrong or perhaps Saturday’s hero Kenny McLean to get involved. Then the forward line. Dykes played the full game against Norway. With more possession and attacking territory expected, Clarke could look at fielding a more natural goal scorer in Kevin Nisbet or Lawrence Shankland.

Georgia threat

The Scotland boss certainly won't be making changes for change’s sake. Georgia are a country which provokes feelings of unease amongst the Tartan Army. The team, who encountered Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf out and about in Glasgow on Monday, have lost just one of their last 15 matches, winning 11. They topped their Nations League group to earn promotion to League B and a play-off spot for Euro 2024 should they miss out through the group.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the gem in an exciting crop of Georgian players. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

This current crop are formidable with players featuring for respectable opposition around Europe, the standout being Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The 22-year-old, who played an integral role in Napoli’s Serie A win, earning him the moniker ‘Kvaradona’, is already eighth on the country’s scorer list with the best goals-to-game-ratio of anyone in the top 10. They have a number of players in their early-20s, such as Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Giorgi Gocholeishvili of Shakhtar Donetsk, Giorgi Chakvetadze who once attracted interest from Barcelona and Ligue 2’s top scorer Georges Mikautadze. They have been described as “undoubtedly the most exciting” group the country has produced.

This progression has been helped by the requirement, due to finances, for clubs in Georgia to introduce young talent to their first-team early on, even giants Dinamo Tbilisi. In fact their focus is on developing youth. Andres Carrasco, a former coach at Barcelona, has been key across two spells at shaping their youth policy, starting from “zero” with no youth academy in 2011.

This explosion in talent has led to an improvement with the national team. In turn, expectation has increased. Sagnol, who played more than 250 times for Bayern Munich, appeared to face a grilling from the Georgian press pack ahead of the Scotland game, journalists wary that Scotland pose a much greater threat than Cyprus who Georgia eked past thanks to an 84th-minute winner at the weekend. Not only does it hint at the quality Scotland's opponents possess but the expectation that they will provide stern opposition.

It threatens to be another captivating night at a sold-out Hampden Park. Scotland don't “have to win” but it would certainly be nice and those three points would push the country even closer to Euro 2024, while creating history and seeing off a nation on the rise with one of Europe’s finest talents.