With a smile on his face, Steve Clarke rejoiced in his Bolivia post-match interview. "For once, I got everything I asked for - no injuries, a performance and a good result," the Scotland head coach told BBC Scotland. But what he also got was a selection headache after the 4-0 World Cup warm-up win at the Sports Illustrated Stadium.
As his sensational Scotland signed off their pre-tournament camp with a wonderful win and positive performance to ensure the feelgood factor is flowing, they also made certain that Clarke has a few tough calls to make. To a man in the first half, they were sublime. An untroubled defence were still stable and commanding, while the magic midfield four were here, there and everywhere. Two strikers, three goals; that makes for good reading.
“Scotland's 4-0 win over Bolivia gives Steve Clarke a selection headache ahead of their World Cup opener against Haiti.”
"I've got some decisions to make," Clarke admitted after the superb win in the sweltering New Jersey heat. "The starting XI becomes a fixation, but this is a tournament for your finishing XI."
Among the biggest questions is who starts in goal against Haiti on Sunday. Angus Gunn was confirmed as Scotland's 'number one' when the squad numbers were locked in earlier in the week, but does that mean the Nottingham Forest man starts between the sticks? He had little to do against Bolivia, bar one memorable save for the cameras. But he'll take those days at the office every time they're offered. While there was little else to go off, the only other thing was he was the only player to last the 90 minutes.
Last Saturday, Hearts veteran Craig Gordon appeared to receive a second career farewell at Hampden as he was replaced with Rangers' Liam Kelly after 77 minutes against Curacao. For much of those 77 minutes, though, the Hearts shot-stopper had little to do other than pick the ball out of his own net, but he couldn't do much to prevent that. What the pair do have in common is a lack of minutes for their club this season. That's been well documented. However, there seems to be a feeling Gordon, who will be the oldest player at the World Cup at the age of 43, will get a chance to check off playing at a major tournament this summer after he brutally missed out on Euro 2024, despite struggling with a shoulder injury for the second half of the season.
The midfield also presents a conundrum after a dominant display against Bolivia. "Me being me, I was really happy with the defensive work they did, the way they dropped down, kept the team com…" Clarke started, before trailing off. The quote, incomplete in the source, leaves the door open for further selection intrigue as Scotland prepare for their World Cup opener.