Scotland manager Steve Clarke has been saddled with a tough selection call ahead of tonight’s clash with Switzerland. After a host of lacklustre individual performances in the 5-1 hammering against Germany last week, does Clarke stick or twist?
That question is particularly pressing up top. Southampton’s Che Adams started against the Euro 2024 hosts and didn’t get a sniff, and many are calling for Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland to be given a start ahead of him.
Former Scottish international Neil McCann is among those fighting Shankland’s corner. “I feel a bit for Che Adams because of how tough the Germany game was,” he told the BBC. “No support and no service. But I would start with Shankland up top.”
Now, Scotland fans have had their say. Patrolling the streets of Cologne for opinions, Express Sport conducted a survey on who should get the nod through the middle against Switzerland.
And the majority want Clarke to ignore McCann’s advice. Of those questioned, just shy of 73 per cent believe Adams deserves to keep his spot in the starting XI, leaving just over 27 per cent in the pro-Shankland camp.
The general feeling among the Tartan Army is that Shankland offers more in the finishing department. The 28-year-old has found the net 59 times across all competitions in the last two seasons at Hearts, with his 24-goal haul in last campaign’s Scottish Premiership enough to win him the Golden Boot.
But there is also a consensus that Adams will offer more in games where Scotland don’t see much of the ball. The Leicester-born forward is a powerful and willing runner, whereas Shankland is more of a ‘fox in the box’.
“Adams is a step up in quality from Shankland,” said one supporter, while others aired concerns about the difference in standard between domestic football in Scotland and the European Championship.
Scotland will need to get something against Switzerland to maintain a realistic chance of making it through to the Euro 2024 knockout stage. Revved-up fans have flooded the streets of Germany to catch a glimpse of the nation’s first major overseas tournament in almost 30 years.
And while the German thrashing didn’t offer much encouragement, there is still hope that Clarke’s side can cause problems for Switzerland and their final Group A opponents, Hungary.