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Steve Clarke expressed his anguish following Scotland’s 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands in their friendly match in Amsterdam, which marked the beginning of their preparations for Euro 2024.
The guests made a strong start and had a chance to score with Ryan Christie’s shot hitting the goal post, but the Dutch team ultimately took the lead with a Tijjani Reijnders shot five minutes before halftime.
In the 62nd minute, Scotland’s forward Lawrence Shankland nearly scored but his shot hit the crossbar. He had only the goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, to beat. However, just 10 minutes later, Georginio Wijnaldum scored a header, doubling the lead for their team.
In the 84th and 86th minutes, Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen, who came in as replacements, scored goals. This resulted in Scotland’s sixth consecutive game without a win, with a total of 18 goals conceded. They will face Northern Ireland in a friendly match at Hampden Park on Tuesday.
Scotland’s team has not experienced a stretch of six consecutive games without a win since October 2007 to September 2008. Manager Steve Clarke expressed his disappointment with the 4-0 defeat.
The players and I are enduring difficulties, but there were many positive aspects. We displayed strong competitiveness against a skilled Dutch team for 70 minutes.
“It’s a lot of goals (18) and if you concede that amount of goals you are not going to win games.
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“We discussed it previously, so it’s clear that we need to improve our performance.”
We should consider our reaction to the second goal and figure out how to demonstrate resilience to make it difficult for the other team to score. If the game ends with a 2-0 score, then that’s how it ends.
We need to be more savvy when playing against top teams, and they definitely fall into that category.
We haven’t had any victories in the last six games, so we need to put an end to that streak on Tuesday evening.
Afterwards, I didn’t say much. It’s best to return to the hotel when emotions are running high after a tough loss.
I plan to convene with my team, assess the match and devise a strategy to present to the players for tomorrow’s game.
We have not won in six games, so we need to put an end to that on Tuesday night.
However, there are many positive aspects to consider. Individuals may choose to view the final score in a negative light, but that decision is theirs to make.
“In the span of 70 minutes, we were highly competitive against a formidable opponent, and there is much to learn from that. We must review the last 20 minutes and strive to improve.”
Shankland had been repeatedly requested to be included in the starting lineup and even though he missed a crucial opportunity, Clarke showed his support for the captain of Hearts.
He mentioned that strikers often receive criticism for missing shots, but they also have the important task of being in the right position and making the right decisions.
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“In the future, Lawrence will continue to score goals.”
I believed his overall performance was excellent, he stayed strong on his end.
Source: independent.co.uk
