Scotland's mindset laid bare amid dispiriting losing run at Europe's top table

Kenny McLean insists Scotland are desperate to keep improving as they seek their first win at Nations League Group A level.

The Scots won promotion to the top tier the UEFA tournament during the last campaign and as a result, find themselves in a challenging pool alongside Portugal, Croatia and Poland.

Scotland commenced life at the top table with two defeats last month - 3-2 by Poland and 2-1 against Portugal - but have the chance to kick-start their campaign when they face Croatia in Zagreb on Saturday, followed by the Portuguese's visit to Hampden on Tuesday.

Experienced midfielder McLean believes he and teammates will learn more from facing demanding opposition than taking on some of Europe's smaller nations and expects the side to evolve once more over coming months.

Kenny McLean and Scotland now rub shoulders with top countries such as Portugal in Nations League A. | SNS Group

"We've gone well to get to this level but we don't want to stop there," said McLean. "We want to keep improving and I think playing these games and these tough opponents, that's what you need to do.

"I think we'll learn more from some of these defeats than going and playing lesser nations that we've done in the past, to be honest. I think it is about evolving and trying to get better. We obviously know that small mistakes and small errors do lead to goals at this level. Maybe we'd get away with that in the lower pots, but it's not the case [here]. We need to really dust up on that and going forward we need to carry a bit more of a threat and punish teams more.

"We had a lot of chances against Poland and we didn't really punish them at the right times and I think that was the main one in that game. We had big chances at big moments that we didn't take. So both ends of the pitch, both boxes we need to obviously improve. But as I say I think sometimes you can learn more from these defeats than going and playing against lesser nations."

McLean expects Scotland to adapt to playing a higher level. "That's the plan," said the 32-year-old. "That's what we need to keep doing. Again regardless of me being older or younger lads in the squad, everybody needs to keep improving and keep doing the right things. Keep taking on the messages from the managers and the coaches because that's the only way we're going to get better.

Scotland train ahead of the trip to Croatia on Saturday. | SNS Group

"Nobody wants to be losing games but you can definitely take stuff from the games that you're losing as well as the games that you're winning. There has been some good stuff, but we don't want to say it's been good because we've not been winning games. That's what it's all about. It's all about winning games but we want to do it playing the right way as well and we're trying to do that."

McLean countered any notion that belief within the Scotland camp has waned, with the team having won just once - against Gibraltar - in its past 14 matches. "I don't think you can come away without having belief in what you're doing," added the Norwich City man. "You do so much at your club and you work your nuts off to be honest to be in this position, so I don't think you can work that hard and then come away from here and not have belief.

"The manager [Steve Clarke] has put his belief in you by choosing you to be here, so I think we need to take confidence from that to start with and then when we come away we need to get together as a group and do a bit more I suppose because as I say we really want to turn results around. But that's going to start on the training pitch and working as hard as we can and doing everything that's asked of us."