If Steve Clarke believes that playing Ben Doak in two games in four days would be too taxing for the teenage winger, he has warned that he will not risk playing him against Poland.
In Scotland’s 1-0 victory over Croatia at Hampden last Friday, the 19-year-old terrorized Manchester City’s £77 million left-back Josko Gvardiol with a man-of-the-match performance.
A win in Warsaw tomorrow night, along with Croatia’s defeat by Portugal, may guarantee second place in the Nations League’s Group A1 and a pot-one seed in the World Cup qualifying draw next month. Scotland will be demoted if they lose or draw.Clarke, who is still considering his starting lineup, commended Doak’s performance against Croatia but reiterated the need to shield the young player from undue pressure.
The Scotland manager stated, “As I sit here now— I haven’t named the team.” “You must look at all of the boys who finished the game the other night to make sure they are healthy, rested, and prepared to play tomorrow morning.” It’s something more you need to consider.
Doak is already a fan favorite, so his exclusion from the starting lineup will disappoint many. Many of them blame the management for being too cautious with the player, who is on loan from Liverpool at Middlesbrough.As long as we take care of him and ensure that he keeps growing, he has the potential to be a game changer. Many individuals observe his positive actions.
My coaching staff and I have a slightly more analytical approach. Since he’s still a young athlete and wants to develop, we’ll see additional things that he struggles with.
In terms of learning and practicing the game, I believe he is in a terrific environment at Middlesbrough. I think he has already improved since joining the team, based on my observations of his improvement.
However, there is still much to be done throughout the years. You may all be enthused about what he does with the ball right now, though. He has lots of time to mature, so it’s crucial to avoid placing undue strain on the youngster.
Craig Gordon, the goalie, got a virus and was unable to practice on the day of the match. Clarke anticipates that the 41-year-old Hearts veteran, who visited Poland, will be prepared for a final effort to keep from being relegated from League A.
“We know all about Poland because we played them at Hampden (a 3-2 loss for Scotland),” the manager stated. They face serious dangers. People will think, “5-1— they got hammered,” after seeing their match versus Portugal.
However, they didn’t. They were excellent. The game simply escaped them. We anticipate a difficult task.