When it comes to selecting the best team, the common consensus is that managers love a headache.
Seven years into his tenure in charge of Scotland, Steve Clarke must be getting used to them.
Having a litany of options available in multiple positions isn’t a luxury that has been afforded to many of his predecessors since our last appearance at a World Cup 28 long years ago.
Craig Brown, Berti Vogts, Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, George Burley, Craig Levein. They all had talented individuals to work with, particularly in the midfield area.
But very few, if any, of their teams were ever littered with them. Suitable back-up options when required, have been notoriously tough to find over the years.
Clarke — unlike his predecessors — doesn’t have that issue.
Certainly, the loss of Billy Gilmour to this Scotland squad through injury is devastating, not least for the player himself. It was heartbreaking to see the Napoli man sit down on the turf midway through the first half of last weekend’s win over Curacao.
In truth, he looked as though he knew his fate the second he felt a twinge in his knee, even if the rest of us watching on hoped otherwise.
It’s a sickener for Gilmour, especially after getting himself back in shape having missing the best part of three months last season following groin surgery.
Scotland are weaker this summer without him. But his absence shouldn’t be fatal to our chances of success in the States.
Against Bolivia tonight, Clarke will get one more chance to play around with personnel and formations before the real stuff gets under way next Saturday.
And settling on a solution to the no-Gilmour problem will no doubt be at the front of his mind.
The importance of picking up three points against Haiti can’t be understated. Do that — and rack up a few goals in the process — and it may well be enough to see Scotland book a spot in the knockouts as one of the best third-placed teams.
Morocco were semi-finalists last time out and Brazil are, well, Brazil. Even the most optimistic amongst the Tartan Army would assume points to be in short supply in the other two matches in Group C.
Billy Gilmour picked up a knee injury against Curacao at Hampden last weekend
Which is why Clarke could — and indeed, should — stick with the 4-4-2 in New York tonight, and for the World Cup opener seven days later.
John McGinn and Scott McTominay are nailed-on starters in both fixtures, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the two central midfield positions are set in stone.
McGinn has, for the most part, been deployed on the left-hand side under Clarke. Few would argue that’s his best role, but there’s no question that he’s been effective for Scotland.
He’s not out there because of searing pace or a willingness to hit the bye-line. But he offers both balance and a handy ability to drift in off the flank and into the box when it counts.
It’s worth noting that McTominay spent the early part of last season out on the left in Antonio Conte’s Napoli side to compensate for Kevin de Bruyne — but Clarke won’t do that. The 2024-25 Serie A Player of the Season will be in the middle, where he belongs.
With either Ben Gannon-Doak or Findlay Curtis on the right wing, that likely leaves just one place up for grabs between Kenny McLean, Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson and Tyler Fletcher.
Fletcher may well turn out to be a Scotland great down the line. But Clarke’s decision to bring him in as a direct replacement for Gilmour remains baffling almost a week on. Does anyone expect the teenager to actually see any action over the coming weeks?
Clarke’s loyalty to Kenny McLean has been a stick used by the supporters to beat the manager with for years.
Scotland will likely rely on Kenny McLean’s defensive attributes against Morocco and Brazil
His stunning goal from the halfway line against Denmark to seal qualification for these Finals has helped shut some people up, mind you.
Yes, he’s not particularly flashy, but Scotland don’t need him to be. The Norwich captain — who recently signed a new deal keeping him in Norfolk until 2028 — keeps things simple and does a lot of the unseen work off the ball.
He also adds a physical presence — something Gilmour lacks — in the engine room, and frees up the more forward-thinking players in the team to have an impact.
McLean’s game, however, is more suited to the challenge of Morocco and Brazil rather than Haiti, meaning he may miss out on Matchday One.
In Christie, Clarke has a guy who can do a job anywhere across the middle. The former Celtic man arrived in Bournemouth as a No 10 but has found himself playing much deeper under Andoni Iraola.
The difference is, the Cherries play with five across the middle rather than four. If Christie were to start in a 4-4-2 against Haiti, he — rather than McTominay — would then be expected to do the bulk of the defensive screening, and that seems to be a risk Clarke doesn’t need to take.
As a midfield pairing, it doesn’t look quite right. Christie would be of much more value further up the park, given his ability to take the ball in pockets of space between the lines and thus force defenders to engage.
It would appear then, that Ferguson is the best bet in this system.
Bologna skipper Lewis Ferguson has become a mainstay in midfield under Clarke
The Bologna skipper has enjoyed another stellar campaign in Serie A, making 45 appearances in all competitions, and his stock is continuing to rise. A move to one of the league’s big guns appears imminent.
Under Clarke, the 26-year-old has gone from the fringes to one of the manager’s most trusted lieutenants, starting and finishing all but one of Scotland’s six qualifiers on route to the World Cup. He’s borderline undroppable at this stage. At least in Clarke’s eyes.
Regardless of what formation the manager plumps for, he will surely be plugged in somewhere. He’s simply too important to leave out.
There’s certainly plenty for Clarke to ponder, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
