Steve Clarke questions Scotland 'anomaly' amid improving results and addresses Ryan Christie return

Steve Clarke believes Scotland’s current official FIFA ranking belies their rapid rate of improvement since the lows of Euro 2024.

The Scotland manager is desperate for his team to ratify their place among Europe’s elite by remaining in the top tier of the Nations League. They play Greece in the second leg of a Nations League relegation play-off at Hampden leading 1-0 from Thursday night’s first leg.

Whatever happens, Clarke has been left slightly bewildered by Scotland’s fall in the rankings since this time last year, when they were 39th. The most recent FIFA ranking has them at 45 despite an unbeaten run of four games, including three successive wins, which has put Scotland in a position where they can retain their League A status by avoiding defeat on Sunday evening at Hampden.

Clarke is desperate to continue at European football’s top table despite suspecting it is harming Scotland’s position in the FIFA rankings. The next update is scheduled to be published in April.

Steve Clarke during a Scotland training session at The City Stadium on Saturday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SFA

“We have improved,” he stressed. “If you look at the world rankings, it will tell you different. That’s a little anomaly that seems to have emerged with the Nations League.

“But as a team we have improved and the players have improved at this level too. We understand what it takes to win a game at this level. Thankfully, recently we have been able to show we can do that.”

Clarke puts this down to the run of matches where he admits he put his team “through the mill” by taking on friendlies against the likes of the Netherlands, France and England. As recently as October, Scotland were on a run of just one win in 16 matches.

“Eventually you get the experience,” he said. “So when we went to Greece the other night, we knew what to expect. The players were able to handle that.”

Although Clarke knows even a draw against the Greeks at a full Hampden Park will keep Scotland in League A, he wants to confirm this in style with another win. Such an outcome would help lay down a marker ahead of World Cup qualifying later this year. Scotland play Greece twice again.

“We’ve got a one-goal lead coming into the game, and for me, in my head, I want to win this tie and show them that Hampden is a difficult place to come,” he said. “So, hopefully it will be a difficult game for them tomorrow and it is going to be difficult when they come back here in October.”

The Greeks know they have nothing to lose in Glasgow as they seek a fourth successive win on the road, after victories over England, Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Clarke has no injury worries despite the tight turnaround from the first leg. He can also add Ryan Christie to his options after the player served a one-match suspension on Thursday.

Ryan Christie returns from suspension for Scotland’s Nations League play-off second leg against Greece. | SFA/SNS Group

The midfielder has been playing in a slightly more withdrawn role for Bournemouth than he does with Scotland, although the manager observes that he produces a very similar performance wherever he is deployed.

“I’ve seen Ryan a couple of times for Bournemouth and people will tell you that he is playing a slightly deeper role,” he said. “But when you watch Bournemouth play, he is still the one who is leading the high press and is the one that gets after the game and gets forward to the edge of the box. All they have done at Bournemouth is given him a nominal position, if you like. He plays the same way Ryan always plays.”

Clarke is hoping to work out a way to stop Greek teenager Konstantinos Karetsas, who came on at half-time to such good effect on Thursday. Kieran Tierney on the left side of midfield is another option when it comes to trying to keep the 17-year-old quiet.