Craig Levein tips depleted Scots to flourish against USA in Florida heat

SCOTLAND manager Craig Levein has every faith in his players to return home with a positive result against the United States despite being without 11 players for the match.

Injury, illness and family reasons have all contributed to Levein making the trip to Florida without almost a dozen players who could have been in contention for the friendly. The likes of Darren Fletcher, Charlie Adam, Alan Hutton, James Morrison, Steven Naismith, Jamie Mackie, Robert Snodgrass and James Forrest all failed to travel Stateside. However, the fact he has been able to name a strong 22-man squad for the clash in Jacksonville, which takes place in the early hours of tomorrow morning UK time, fills the Scotland manager with optimism for the future.

Levein said: “I’ve got 11 players who aren’t here and they are guys who have been in starting positions. Six of them play in the Premier League. Those players haven’t made it here for loads of different reasons. I look at that and I look at the group that we’ve got here and I feel that we are quite strong. I don’t think we have been in this position for a while.”

The latest Fifa rankings show the hosts to be rated as 29th in the world, while the Scots trail behind in 48th spot. United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann has also made it clear that he will be treating the match as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and expects nothing short of maximum effort from his players.

Levein acknowledged: “This will be a tough match. They are well above us in the rankings, they are an experienced team and they’ve got all their best players here and they are preparing for qualifiers. There are a lot of things in this game that go against us but I have great confidence in this group of boys to do well in those difficulties. Part of the reason for that is their attitude and that’s important.”

Barry Bannan suffered a slight knock in training earlier in the week but is expected to be fit for the match. Shaun Maloney will earn his first cap since November 2010, while Matt Phillips will make his international debut after being forced to pull out of the friendly against Slovenia in February through injury. On the Blackpool winger, who impressed during his side’s run to the play-off final where they lost to West Ham at Wembley, Levein said: “I wanted to play him in Slovenia, I wanted to play him and James Forrest. It was a bit of a blow because [scout] Mick Oliver has been trailing him and we have been working really hard to get him on board.

“I’ve been really excited when I’ve seen him play, I’ve been down at Blackpool a lot. He played really well again in the play-offs and the play-off final. For me, having him and James in the team will give us another dimension, something we haven’t had before, which is real pace. In international football, particularly away from home, with counter-attacking football, you need real pace in the team. We have had a lot of really good players but we haven’t had that real electric pace that those two have got and it does make a huge difference away from home.

“I know they are young lads and I don’t mean to put a lot of pressure on them but their particular talents are something we don’t have. That’s what we are looking for – to have more and to have better.” Meanwhile, Levein believes Rangers trio Allan McGregor, Steven Whittaker and Lee Wallace are in the right frame of mind for the game amid the turmoil at their club in recent months.

He said: “What happens, happens. I can’t dip my toe into any other waters. I’ve got enough to do here. I pick the players and bring them together and if they are not in a good mental place to come then they will tell me that. I expect everybody who is here to be ready to play.”

Kenny Miller, who is expected to lead the line for Scotland and skipper the side again, insists he will be more than happy to give up the captain’s armband if it means welcoming Scotland skipper Fletcher back into the international fold. The Cardiff striker is set to lead the team out in the continued absence of the captain, who has been sidelined with a bowel condition since November. However, Fletcher is understood to be making excellent progress in his fight to return to fitness, and reports this week claim the Manchester United midfielder is hoping to get the go-ahead to resume his career next month.

And, as proud as Miller may be to captain his country, he is relishing the day when he can hand the armband back to Fletcher.

Miller said: “There are no questions asked about that. Darren is our captain. Whether it be myself or big Gaz (Gary Caldwell) who has been filling in for him, we know that Fletch is our captain and our leader. That’s why we are hoping he does make a speedy recovery and gets back playing in the team as soon as he can. He is a huge loss, not just on the pitch, but off the pitch as well. He is a strong character within the team, he is somebody we miss, and we wish he gets back as soon as he can.”

Miller is one of the most experienced campaigners in the 22-man squad who made the trip to the USA. And he has offered to guide and support the younger forwards in the group, such as David Goodwillie and Johnny Russell, the latter having earned his first call-up to the senior squad.

Miller said: “It’s a different style of football, international football, to playing for your club. If I can help Goodie and Johnny Russell, then it would be great. That’s what they are here for, that’s why the gaffer is bringing them into the squad, to give them experience, to see how different things are. They are the lads who are going to take over so if I can help them in any way I’ll be delighted to do so.”

Levein and his players have spent the week in Florida preparing for the clash in Jacksonville, and as well as providing another opportunity for the players to bond at the end of a long hard season, Miller believes the game will also prepare the Scots for their opening World Cup qualifier against Serbia in September.

He said: “Every game is going to play its part in getting us prepared. The manager picks the opposition wisely, he doesn’t just pick at random, and he probably plays his team with the qualifiers in mind. Every game is playing its part. We’ve got this one and we’ve got another one in August and every game is important because we are making progress and we want to see that progress on the pitch.”

Miller agreed with his manager’s opinion that the friendly will provide the Rangers trio with a welcome break from the troubles engulfing the club back home. He said: “It’s another thing that this week can play a part in. I speak to Greegsy (McGregor) two or three times a week and it has been a long, hard season for them just with everything that’s been going on. They can get down to focusing on this game now and it is a game away from everything they have had on. They can do it for at least a week anyway.”