Scotland edging closer to World Cup history | OneFootball

Scotland are edging ever closer to making the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time, but things haven’t all been rosy.

While any win over Haiti was the ultimate goal, scoring more than once would have been preferred. A few days later, Steve Clarke’s men delivered another tepid performance during the 1-0 defeat to Morocco.

With three points after two games and a goal difference of 0, Scotland are well on course to make it through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-place sides. For now.

With every passing match, things can change. Has Scotland been poor, though, or are expectations higher than ever?

Scotland have not been at their best so far

The onus heading into the World Cup was to finally end a 36-year wait for a win at the tournament.

That duly arrived against Haiti, but there were several nervy moments throughout the game. Of course, that was understandable given the enormity of the occasion for Clarke and his men, given what was at stake.

Across the 90 minutes, however, Haiti managed to take more shots than Scotland while also winning more corners. If it weren’t for some dismal finishing, the Caribbean nation could well have taken a point, or even three.

That should have been a wake-up call for Scotland ahead of the tougher task against Morocco. Although a change of system was necessary against a team that would likely dominate much of the possession and create more chances, Clarke knew his team had to improve in the final third.

Despite that, Scotland still fell behind in the second minute thanks to a goal from Ismael Saibari, who timed his run perfectly before slotting home the opener.

The rest of the game saw Scotland fail to test the Moroccan goalkeeper, and while there might have been a penalty claim waved away, it was a poor display all around.

Yes, history could be made if we suffer a narrow loss and go through as one of the best third-place teams. Is that the way Scotland wants to go about things, though? This Brazilian side isn’t the Brazil of old.

If Clarke wishes to take something off the South Americans, a change in approach is desperately required.

The Miami heat could prove a major factor

The heat in Miami is going to be oppressive, something which Brazil will cope with better than the Scots. This factor will influence not only Clarke’s tactical system, but also who he selects to start the match.

Going toe-to-toe with the Brazilians will only end one way: defeat. As such, setting up his team in a manner in which they can defend well, but hit Carlo Ancelotti’s men on the counter, could be the only way in which they can emerge with three points.

That sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Especially considering Scotland’s record against Brazil in this tournament. Between 1974 and 1998, the two nations met four times, with Brazil winning three and one ending 0-0.

Scotland have had far better squads at previous tournaments and lost to the Brazilians. Could this year be different?

If Clarke wishes to stand up to the test, he could revert to the 4-4-2 system he used against Haiti in the opening game. It’s a more attacking setup, sure, but unless Clarke is going to go and try and claim three points, it might be better to stick to the 5-4-1.

My heart is torn. I want to see us give Brazil a game and attempt to try and seal what would be an unlikely win. However, I also would love to see Scotland make it through to the knockout rounds. If a 1-0 defeat gets us there, then I’ll take it.