Steve Clarke watched the likes of Celtic man Leigh Griffiths go close and others huff and puff – but more will be needed if Scotland are to move forward.
After the highs of last week’s qualification to Euro 2020 in a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Serbia, Clarke’s men lost their last two Nations League matches.
Only one victory was needed against Slovakia and Israel to secure promotion to League A, which would have boosted play-off hopes for World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024. Both games were 1-0 losses, keeping Scotland in League B.
Clarke has reacted to the result in Israel which confirmed Scotland’s League B status. He says the national team must be more clinical in front of goal, lamenting a late chance for Celtic striker Griffiths.
“We are all disappointed with how the week has finished,” said Clarke (Sky Sports). “It’s been a historic week for Scottish football, a long time coming.
“There’s no lack of endeavour but maybe a lack of quality in the final third. We made chances and couldn’t get the goal.
“We had a quick chat after the game. We want to keep improving but if we want to get better then we have to be more clinical. The one big chance we had at the end of the game fell to Leigh Griffiths.
“If we could have picked anyone for that chance to fall to it would have been Leigh. He didn’t get a clean connection and the chance passed us by. But in the space of a year we’ve come a long way. We have a lot to look forward to.”