Craig Levein looked ahead to his first competitive game as Scotland manager and warned that there are no easy fixtures in international football. The manager is preparing his team for the opening match of the Euro 2012 qualification campaign against Lithuania.
Levein has been in charge for two friendlies so far, seeing his side beat group rivals Czech Republic at Hampden before suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat in Sweden last month. Though Scotland were seeded ahead of Lithuania when the qualifying group was drawn, the national team manager said it would not be easy to earn a win in Kaunas.
“Any game away from home, there has to be a note of caution,” Levein said.
“In international football these days I think there is a note of caution in every game. Scoring goals isn’t easy.
“So I think no matter who it is we are playing against it is important to concentrate and do our defensive duties properly. That will be something that will be very important for us.”
Looking back on the disappointment of last month’s friendly defeat in Stockholm, Levein insisted there would be an improvement when competitive action gets underway on Friday night.
"I assure you we will be better than we were in Sweden," he said. "I hesitate to go back too often to the Sweden game. There are lessons to be learned but there could be seven or eight players different in this match from the last one so it's probably not a fair comparison.
"We have learned lessons and the most important one is the manager has learned that friendlies are quite important.
Levein insisted his squad was ready for what is already a crucial match. With Scotland in a five team group alongside European and World champions Spain, Czech Republic and Liechtenstein as well as Friday’s opponents, there is no room for error and the manager said his players were aware of that fact.
"The tempo of training has improved enormously and I think it's because of the importance of the game,” he added.
"The team hasn't been named and all the players are wanting to be selected. We have some of the experienced players back in, guys who have done things properly throughout their career.
"They set the professionalism in training so it's no coincidence that the tempo has improved. I have been happy with what has happened this week, although sometimes that doesn't always manifest itself on the pitch."
