Scotland boss Craig Levein (left) watched on in horror as his team nearly failed to defeat Liechtenstein. Pic: ©SNS Group
Craig Levein says he will ditch any notions of Scotland playing free-flowing attacking football, after seeing his team come within seconds of a shock result against Liechtenstein. The national manager had a lucky escape as Stephen McManus nodded home Barry Robson’s corner in the sixth minute of stoppage time to give the Scots a 2-1 win on Tuesday night.
After fielding a defensively-minded side in the 0-0 draw with Lithuania in the opening game of the Euro 2012 campaign, Levein came in for criticism from some quarters for failing to inspire his side to go all out to get a goal.
Having left out James McFadden and Kris Boyd in Kaunas, Levein then abandoned that philosophy against Liechtenstein to try and take an early lead against the side ranked 141st in the world, reintroducing both players to the fold.
McFadden was subsequently withdrawn from the action at half-time and Boyd followed soon after, as Scotland recovered from a goal behind to grind out a crucial three points.
Believing he has now learned his lesson, Levein insists he will revert to his previous tactics after deciding it is the best approach in trying to get Scotland to the European Championships.
“I thought long and hard about the team for Tuesday night,” Levein told the Scottish Sun. “I decided to put one out I thought would see us score early in the game and make it an easier night.
“As it transpired, my fear when I did that, was that if we didn't get in front it could be a long evening. That's what proved to be the case.
“Personally I learned a lot from that. It basically re-affirmed my belief that the set-up we had in Lithuania is the way ahead for us.
“It might not be the prettiest football but we have a group of players who I think have great attitudes - and those are the ones who will play.
“That's got to be the way we go, or we're not going to get results - it's as simple as that.”
SCOTLAND SCRAPE LIECHTENSTEIN WIN
- Scotland 2-1 Liechtenstein
- Levein: Only the result mattered against Liechtenstein
- Scotland weren’t lucky against Liechtenstein, says McManus
- Video: Liechtenstein manager bemoans extra stoppage time
- Video: McCulloch at a loss to explain yellow card decision
The tactical approach of putting every player behind the ball and trying to snatch a goal from a counter attack or a set play may not appeal to some of the Scotland faithful. But some of the greatest results achieved by the national team in recent years came from a similar approach.
Scotland’s 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes in 2007 came from a strong defensive performance against France, who had played in the World Cup final only a year earlier, followed by one moment of genius from McFadden to steal a goal.
