Scotland boss Clarke vows to cut out the errors after Turkey defeat
Scotland boss Steve Clarke vows to cut out the errors ahead of Euro 2024 after their four-match unbeaten run came to an end in a disappointing defeat in Turkey
- Scotland were defeated 2-1 by Turkey at the Diyarbakir Stadium on Wednesday
- Goals from Ozan Kabak and Cengiz Under had put the hosts into the lead
- The Scots hit back thanks to a fantastic goal from Aston Villa’s John McGinn
- However, Turkey held on and condemned Scotland to defeat in the friendly
Steve Clarke admitted Scotland have much room for improvement ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign after a mixed performance in Turkey.
Second best for an hour in Diyarbakir, the visitors found themselves two-goals down through Ozan Kabak and Cengiz Under.
A brilliant strike by John McGinn, the Aston Villa man’s 15th in Scotland colours, sparked a much-needed improvement in the final half an hour with Clarke’s side passing up several late chances to snatch a draw in the friendly.
Steve Clarke admitted Scotland have much room for improvement ahead after Turkey defeat
But having seen his side take far too long to get going, the Scotland manager conceded that there’s work to be done before the opening qualifier with Cyprus in March.
‘I thought at times we coped quite well, at other times not quite so well,’ said Clarke.
‘We probably gave up too many chances in the first-half, a lot of them from our own slackness, maybe the mentality of a friendly.
‘But it should be mentioned that it is a long trip. We decided to do it in quite a short time-span. We only had 20-25 minutes of tactical work on the pitch yesterday which was in front of everyone who wanted to watch it. So we can make some excuses from that but I don’t want to make too many excuses.
‘There were some things that we tried on the pitch, organisation and set-play wise that worked and some that didn’t. We have to go away, analyse what we did and hopefully be much better next year.
Scotland lost 2-1 to Turkey on Wednesday evening at the Diyarbakir Stadium, Turkey
‘The first goal is the key goal. If we get in at half-time 0-0 we can tweak the team a little bit and do what we want to do and still be on level terms.
‘To defend a set-piece like that is poor, so we will make sure we try and improve on that. It’s not something that we have been culpable off recently so it is something we can address.’
McGinn’s strike led to Scotland having the upper hand in the closing stages but Scott McTominay and Jack Hendry missed good opportunities to stretch the unbeaten run to five games.
‘A fantastic John McGinn goal, as he normally gets for us, and that changes the dynamic of the game,’ continued Clarke.
Former Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak had opened the scoring for the hosts in the friendly
‘Turkey had to be a little more cautious, we had some moments but we couldn’t get the equaliser.’
The manager felt his side should have had a penalty when Lyndon Dykes and Scott McKenna were impeded as a second half corner but VAR wasn’t in operation.
‘When you look at the penalty incident, it was a clear penalty and why it’s not given I do not know,’ Clarke offered.
‘On the flip side, when Stuart (Armstrong) went down on the edge of the box, I don’t think it was a foul and Turkey score from the counter-attack off that. I would have liked the penalty, to be honest.’
One-time Leicester loanee Cengiz Under put Turkey 2-0 up early on in of the second half
Clarke used 17 players in total with Liverpool defender Calvin Ramsay earning his first full cap.
‘Young Calvin gets his first cap, which is great for him and it was a tough night for him,’ Clarke said.
‘He gave us a little bit more defensive stability. Lewis Ferguson came off the bench and was very good.
‘There are positives to be taken from the game but the overriding feeling is disappointment that the four-game unbeaten run comes to an end.’
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn pulled one back for the visitors with a fantastic goal
However, the hosts held firm and condemned Scotland to defeat in their final game of 202
Liverpool’s Calvin Ramsay came on at the break to make his international debut for Scotland
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