Steven Naismith sure Scotland have shaken off World Cup pain before Nations League

06/06/2022

Steven Naismith is confident Scotland will have banished their World Cup heartache in time for the beginning of their Nations League campaign this week.

Steve Clarke and his players were left dejected last Wednesday as their play-off defeat at home to Ukraine cost them the chance of going to Qatar later this year.

After spending recent days licking their wounds, coach Naismith believes the Scots will be ready to get back into action when they host Armenia on Wednesday before travelling to Dublin to face Ireland on Saturday.

“It was difficult to lift the mood, more so in the days straight after the game,” said Naismith. “It was a big disappointment for fans, staff, players, everybody but nobody will have been hurting more than the players.

“The expectation they put on themselves is big and then to not hit the heights of what they can do is the biggest thing they’ve been feeling.

“We didn’t get outplayed, it wasn’t unbelievable stuff that Ukraine did that cost us so that’s where the boys look at themselves. It’s a setback and there’s frustration but for this group it’s been real positives for a long time, which is where the root of the disappointment comes from.

“With the progression of the squad, how well we’ve done, getting to the Euros, the expectation goes up and everybody has a real belief we can get to tournaments. That’s where we want to be.

“When the draw originally was made, we were all sitting going ‘decent enough draw’, ‘we can get through these games’. Going into the Ukraine game, the fans, the players and the staff all felt that way. Everybody feels this confidence that comes from three years of good work. That’s where the disappointment comes from.”

Scotland qualified for last year’s Euros through a play-off on the back of winning their Nations League group and Naismith stressed the importance of the upcoming Nations League fixtures as they bid to boost their chances of making it to Euro 2024 in Germany.

“We’ve got to use that disappointment now,” he said. “We’ve done well through a Nations League and got to a tournament, we’ve had a setback now.

Steven Naismith sure Scotland have shaken off World Cup pain before Nations League

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