Big questions hanging over Steve Clarke and Scotland - and goalkeeper issue is only tip of iceberg

While Scotland's performance against Iceland on Friday is unlikely to ruin anyone's summer - it was a friendly after all - there was much to be concerned about ahead of the World Cup qualifiers kicking off in September.

The immediate post-mortem surrounded the performance of rookie goalkeeper Cieran Slicker, who was thrust into a situation he was ill-equipped to handle, but this was not the only factor in the dismal defeat. Far from it.

Slicker's personal nightmare - the 22-year-old culpable for all three goals conceded after replacing the injured Angus Gunn inside seven minutes - has masked what was another gruesome Scotland display across all areas of the pitch. I say 'another' because such horror shows are becoming all too frequent for Steve Clarke's side.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke looks downbeat during the 3-1 defeat to Iceland at Hampden on Friday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

In isolation, a 3-1 home loss against the nation sitting 74th in the Fifa rankings is bad enough. But against the backdrop of just one victory in nine Hampden outings - including miserable defeats to Greece, Poland and Northern Ireland - not to mention the lamentable showing at Euro 2024, it is little wonder that the Tartan Army are reaching breaking point. The boos which followed the half-time and full-time whistles on Friday proved as much. As did 20,000 empty seats, although exorbitant ticket prices for a friendly match almost certainly played a role in the reduced attendance.

Has Clarke taken Scotland as far as he can?

Scotland fans are entitled to expect better from their team. The consequence of such worrying form is that serious questions are again being raised over the direction of travel under Clarke as he enters the seventh, and likely final year of his tenure.

The long-serving head coach has brought some great times to Scotland. Qualifying for back-to-back Euros to end a 23-year wait for a major finals will be his proud legacy, regardless of the disappointments he has also endured.

However, every manager has a shelf life and it feels like the 61-year-old is approaching the end of his. Some would argue it has already expired. That Clarke has taken Scotland as far as he can and that fresh ideas are required ahead of the 2026 World Cup bid.

Scotland's Cieran Slicker at full time after the 3-1 defeat to Iceland. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Social media has been awash with calls for the manager to be relieved of his duties over the past 48 hours. AI-generated pictures of Ange Postecoglou in a Scotland tie and blazer have also been circulated. The notion of Clarke being replaced by the ex-Tottenham and Celtic boss is a fanciful one. The Scottish FA, rightly or wrongly, will not be minded to deny Clarke the opportunity to see out the final year of his contract in spite of the wavering faith of the Tartan Army.

But it is equally unlikely that Clarke will fulfil his dream of leading the nation to next year's tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico without a marked improvement in performances.

Problems all over the pitch

Solving the goalkeeper issue is an obvious priority. But providing Craig Gordon, Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly are fit again by September, then this will likely be resolved on its own, at least in the short term. It felt more like bad luck than bad judgement that Slicker ended up making his international debut having barely made a handful of senior appearances for Ipswich. The former Scotland Under-21 was in the squad to gain experience, rather than minutes on the park. A lesson for Clarke perhaps that he cannot afford to call up players who are not ready and able to play. One can only hope Slicker's career trajectory has not been fatally damaged by this unfortunate episode.

Where Clarke's problems run deeper is in his tactics, team selection and motivating his players. The return to a back five in a home friendly against Iceland felt like a major step back from the progress that had been made across the Nations League campaign where Scotland were a much more progressive and balanced outfit with a back four. The lacklustre and half-hearted efforts of the players at Hampden on Friday suggested they too were not particularly enamoured with being asked to reprise a system that was binned after being so badly exposed at Euro 2024. The infuriating sideways and backwards passing was a throwback to last summer’s tournament where Scotland’s stunted attack barely registered a shot on goal. This is football with the handbrake on.

The persistence with Grant Hanley also continues to cause bemusement and frustration given the 33-year-old's lack of club action. Loyalty is an admirable trait that has served Clarke well, but it can also be a major flaw when younger, match-fit alternatives are consistently overlooked, particularly in a friendly, where Hanley, understandably, appeared laboured. Scott McKenna, after a season in La Liga competing against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, must be wondering what he has done wrong.

The apparent obsession over accommodating both Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney in the starting line-up cannot be the sole determining factor when it comes to team set up. It would, though, take a brave call to decide which of the two to leave out, or as has been suggested, push one into left midfield.

Scotland's George Hirst (centre) looks dejected after heading over the bar during the defeat to Iceland. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Midfield strength must be harnessed

Clarke also needs to solve the midfield dilemma over how best to utilise the strongest area of his team. Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, John McGinn - on paper a midfield that should dictate matches against better teams than Iceland but they were set up in such a way that allowed the opposition to run through them all too easily. With Ryan Christie to come back into the equation, and Lennon Miller emerging as a player of huge promise, Clarke has more than enough quality at his disposal to ensure the Scotland engine room functions properly - which includes freeing up McTominay to play centrally as an attacking force, which he has done to devastating effect with Napoli in Serie A this season.

There is also the striking problem. Clarke gave George Hirst his chance against Iceland and, barring a poor miss with a first-half header, the Ipswich front man gave a decent account of himself, forcing two good saves from goalkeeper Elías Rafn Ólafsson and netting a goal which was ruled out for an offside against McTominay in the build-up. But it was another match which passed by without a Scotland striker hitting the target. It has been a year and counting since Lawrence Shankland headed the opener in the 2-2 draw with Finland. Has any team ever qualified for a World Cup without a striker finding the net?

Scotland do have an in-form striker at their disposal. Che Adams bagged 10 goals in his debut season in Serie A with Torino, having netted 19 times for Southampton the previous campaign, yet has managed just one goal for his country - against minnows Gibraltar - in approaching three years. Something has to change with the Scotland set up to give their starting striker, whoever it may be, more service.

The saving grace for Clarke and Scotland is that nothing was won or lost against Iceland except pride. Barring an unthinkable defeat to Liechtenstein on Monday, this will all be forgotten by the time it comes to facing Denmark in Copenhagen in the opening World Cup qualifier on September 5. Lessons must be learned though if Clarke's journey is to have a happy ending.