Steve Clarke stood in the New Jersey heat with a smile and a problem. "For once, I got everything I asked for – no injuries, a performance and a good result," the Scotland head coach told BBC Scotland after his side dismantled Bolivia 4-0 at the Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday. The result was emphatic, the performance near-perfect. Yet the very efficiency that produced three first‑half goals and a clean sheet has left Clarke with what he calls "some decisions to make" ahead of Scotland's World Cup opener against Haiti on Sunday.
To a man, Scotland's first‑half display was sublime. An untroubled defence remained stable and commanding; the midfield four were everywhere; two strikers contributed three goals. The feelgood factor is flowing, but Clarke acknowledged the inevitable fixation on his starting XI. "The starting XI becomes a fixation," he said, "but this is a tournament for your finishing XI."
“Steve Clarke admits he has 'some decisions to make' after Scotland's 4-0 World Cup warm-up win over Bolivia.”
Nowhere is the choice more acute than in goal. Angus Gunn was confirmed as Scotland's number one when squad numbers were released, but does that guarantee the Nottingham Forest man starts next Sunday? Against Bolivia he had little to do – bar one memorable save – and was the only player to last the full 90 minutes. Last Saturday, however, veteran Craig Gordon, who will be the oldest player at the World Cup at 43, was replaced after 77 minutes in a defeat against Curacao. Gordon missed Euro 2024 through injury, and there is a feeling he may finally get his chance to play at a major tournament this summer. Both keepers have had limited club minutes this season, a well‑documented issue.
Clarke was quick to praise the defensive work, saying: "Me being me, I was really happy with the defensive work they did, the way they dropped down, kept the team…" But he knows that in a tournament where every substitution counts, the finishing XI may matter more than the one that starts. The question now is who those 11 will be when Scotland begin their World Cup campaign against Haiti.