Do Scotland Lack the Fight Of Celtic/Rangers?
Scotland headed into their Nations League matched against Greece on Thursday sitting third in Group A1. Whatever that means, and as if it really matters.
The Full Scottish
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
For most serious footballing nations, at least in Europe, the Nations League is, at best, an afterthought—or, if nothing else, a chance to fine-tune squads for more important competitions.
For Scotland, though, the Nations League represents an opportunity for squad players to gain in experience and, ideally, be better prepared for pressurized situations, a quality that was sorely lacking during Euro 2024 (among others).
Which isn’t to say Steve Clarke’s squad doesn’t include players competing at the highest level of the game. Left-back Andy Robertson, for example, has captained Liverpool, and came into this international break sitting on 80 caps for Scotland, well within shouting distance of Kenny Dalglish’s record of 102.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder—and captain—John McGinn has already scored his 20th goal for Scotland and has the current record of 30 (held by Dalglish and Denis Law) in his sights.
But here’s another number: zero. That’s the number of week-in, week-out starters at Celtic or Rangers featuring for Scotland during this international break. Central defender John Souttar has started 17 matches for Rangers this term, while Hoops right-back Anthony Ralston has made it to the first XI on Brendan Rodgers’ team sheet five times. And that’s it.
We mention this because players at both Glasgow clubs routinely talk about the unique, “win-every-week” mentality required at Parkhead and Ibrox. To highlight this point, consider that Celtic are currently 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership table, yet their 3-2 loss in Sunday’s Glasgow derby is viewed as a crisis among the support.
As absurd as that may seem to outsiders looking in, wouldn’t you want players in the national team to be used to dealing with such pressure?
Yes, sure, the likes of Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay aren’t exactly coasting at Serie A contenders Napoli, but it’s a valid question.
The issue, of course, is that fewer and fewer Scots are staying at Celtic or Rangers—or going there in the first place—to become stalwarts in the squads at the respective clubs. For some (McTominay, Che Adams, Ryan Christie), the grass is greener at other ports of call.
For others, though, it’s perhaps indicative of the players’ mettle—or lack thereof. And that could explain a lot, particularly when the matches really matter.