David Marshall says Scotland currently have one of their best-ever teams

Posted on December 2, 2019 in WAFC

Wigan Athletic goalkeeper David Marshall has said that Scotland have one of the best sides ever with the number of top players emerging from the Premier League. Scotland have struggled to compete in major tournaments over the past couple of decades but there is plenty of optimism for the future with the current crop of players.

Speaking in a press conference, Marshall acknowledged that Scotland are not going through the best of spells but it can’t be ignored that the squad is much stronger compared to yesteryears, he told: “Obviously making that comment when we are getting beat you leave yourself open to criticism, which is fine. I can only say what I honestly feel, and I honestly feel the lads are at a great age. I can’t remember too many starting sides when the majority of them are playing at the level that these boys, the Prem boys, are playing at. It might not be this month or next month, but I genuinely do feel there are reasons to be optimistic.”

Ryan Fraser, Andrew Robertson, Scott McTominay, and John McGinn are some of the top Premier League players within the Scotland squad but they have lacked the collective performance to compete with some of Europe’s elite teams. Scotland are already out of contention to make Euro 2020 through their qualifying group but they have a second chance through the playoffs after topping their Nations League group last year.

Scotland have previously been touted to face Finland during the one-legged semi-final playoff at Hampden Park. However, that no longer seems the case with the Finns in superb form and looking at the prospect of progressing through the qualifiers itself. In that case, Steve Clarke’s side could come against Bulgaria for the playoff. The other semi-final could be contested between Serbia and Norway.