Scotland should take encouragement from leaving Cristiano Ronaldo in a huff and aim high in their Nations League finale, according to assistant coach John Carver. Steve Clarkes side suffered last-gasp disappointment in their opening three games in section A1 before holding Portugal to a goalless draw last time out.
Ronaldo gesticulated his displeasure after the final whistle and the Hampden crowd lapped up his tantrum. McGinn, Conway return as Clarke makes five changes to Scotland squadScotland hold Portugal to earn first Nations League pointNations League 2024/25 fixturesScotland fixtures | Download the Sky Sports AppNow Carver wants the team to go one better at home against Croatia on Friday and give the Tartan Army something more positive to cheer.
I think its a big lift, he said. I think youve seen the reaction of the fans at the end of the game. Normally, when you draw a game, people are disappointed. But I think it was the manner in which we performed and how we did it.
If you think about it, we were close to actually getting something in Croatia as well. And that was a huge disappointment. But we used the same starting XI against Portugal, and I love it when we disappoint one of the worlds best footballers.
Hes coming off in a huff because hes frustrated. Hes frustrated because he didnt score and we kept a clean sheet. Its always a good thing. Scotland sit bottom of their group but wins against Croatia and Poland could potentially put them up to second, avoiding relegation or a relegation play-off, depending on other results.
Carver said: Were in a position where weve got two games to go and its still all to play for, which is a good thing. I think we can be encouraged from the performances. We should be sitting here with more points.
So, I think theres a confidence within the group. Weve got two games to go, its all to play for, and I think theres an outside chance if results went our way and we, for example, won both games, we might have a chance of finishing second.
What weve done over the years is weve worked hard to get ourselves into this position, which is fantastic. And we dont want to disappoint by coming out of that top group because you only benefit from playing against the best teams, the best players.
And our young players will develop. Weve got quite a few young players who have come through from the under-21s and theyre gaining massive experience for the future. Download the Sky Sports AppScottish Premiership table | Fixtures | ResultsFree-to-watch Scottish Premiership highlightsScotland squad in fullGoalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Robby McCrorie (Kilmarnock), Cieran Slicker (Ipswich Town) Defenders: Nicky Devlin (Aberdeen), Grant Hanley (Norwich), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Scott McKenna (UD Las Palmas), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Greg Taylor (Celtic) Midfielders: Connor Barron (Rangers), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Ben Doak (Middlesbrough), Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Stuart Armstrong (Vancouver Whitecaps) Forwards: Tommy Conway (Middlesbrough), Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham City), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts) What is next for Scotland?
