Smith to curb attacking instincts for Lithuania

WALTER Smith did not need Lithuania's stunning 1-1 draw with world champions Italy in Naples on Saturday night to persuade him of the vastly increased degree of difficulty facing his Scotland squad in their second Euro 2008 Group B qualifying match in Kaunas this Wednesday.

Even before the Baltic nation caused the first major upset of what promises to be a devilishly cut-throat section, Smith was seeking to place Scotland's record 6-0 defeat of the Faroe Islands at Parkhead a few hours earlier in its proper perspective.
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While deeply and justifiably satisfied with his team's performance against the North Atlantic minnows, the Scotland manager was not about to jump aboard the euphoric bandwagon of optimism anticipating another uncomplicated victory in Lithuania to extend a perfect start to the campaign.

The Scots will travel to Kaunas tomorrow with confidence, but also with a far more cautious approach. Having failed to score, let alone win, on their two previous visits to Lithuania in the Euro 2000 and 2004 qualifying campaigns, Scotland will require another of the outstanding performances produced away from home under Smith's guidance to build on Saturday's encouraging opener.

To do so, Smith will discard the free-wheeling tactics which bore such pleasing fruit against the Faroes and revert to a more compact formation which will entail at least one of Saturday's goalscorers dropping to the substitutes' bench.

"There's no dilemma as far as making changes is concerned," said Smith.

"If you thought you could go to Lithuania and play with three strikers, then you would be one of the few countries in the world to do so. We just have to judge how we are going to play and who we are going to put in the team. I have to take the responsibility for that. I don't think we can go into every game with the same formation and set-up.

"With the group we are in, we will have to make changes in formation as we go along. Hopefully we make the right decisions. The formation we adopted against the Faroes proved to be the right one, because the players delivered a really good first-half performance. If we had been playing a better side, then obviously we wouldn't have used the same formation or tactics.

"Scotland have struggled in Lithuania before and obviously they have a better quality of player than the Faroes. Away from home, we have to make sure we tighten up a little bit. I've had Lithuania watched and we will sit down over the next couple of days and have a good look at them. We know some of their players from Hearts, of course, and know we will be up against a decent level of player.

"We will face tough games away from home throughout the tournament. We will have to play for everything we get. We had to play for the win over the Faroes. If we had produced anything less in terms of performance in the first half, frustration could have set in and it could have been an awkward game.

"We handled the game well and we have to show as we go along that we can handle each of the games that we face. There will be a different emphasis on each of the matches, but hopefully the end result can still be there."

If Smith opts to play with just one out and out striker in Lithuania, a system which has served Scotland so effectively on the road since he took charge, then Kenny Miller will be the man charged with the task. The Celtic striker may only have broken his seasonal scoring duck with an unconvincing penalty-kick on Saturday, but Smith made it plain yet again that the 26-year-old remains his first pick front man ahead of Kris Boyd, James McFadden and Garry O'Connor who all scored.

"If there is a player who has typified the resurgence, if I can use that word, from where Scotland were to where we are trying to get to, then it's Kenny," said Smith. "His work-rate and unselfish attitude has been a big thing for Scotland and, as manager, I can't ignore that. He has been an integral part of what we have tried to achieve, especially in away games."

Despite an almost inevitable dip in the second half on Saturday after the five-goal salvo in the opening 45 minutes, Smith could not have been more content with Scotland's biggest ever victory in the European Championship.

"If you look at this first game, it was exactly how you would want it to be," he said. "There was a high tempo, good passing and possession of the ball, and positive aspects of midfield players getting forward to support the front three. Anything we have asked them to do since I became manager, they have tried to do it to their best level. They haven't always been successful at it, but have always tried at their best level.

"Today, for example, we asked Paul Hartley to play in a slightly different role [as a holding midfielder]. It wasn't one I didn't think he could do, but I thought he was excellent at it. That's just typical of what they are all about. Anything we ask them to do, they will give it their best shot and I must say they are a great group of players to work with.

"A lot of big teams have struggled to beat the Faroes in the past, so I was delighted with that first half performance. The Faroes are not short of motivation and can make it difficult for any team, so I was just pleased we managed to overcome that and didn't come up with one of those Scotland performances where there would be question marks being placed against us again."

The only sour note for Smith was the foolish bookings collected by Darren Fletcher and Miller for off-the-ball incidents when Scotland were already 5-0 ahead. It leaves the pair facing suspension for the game against France at Hampden next month if they are cautioned again in Lithuania on Wednesday.

"It did annoy me and I said that to them at half-time," said Smith. "When the game is being played as it was and you are scoring a number of goals, there is no necessity for bookings like that. There was nothing malicious from the Faroes lads, they are just a bit awkward at times, and it was a wee bit of naivety from our lads in getting booked."

Nonetheless, Smith will not be asking his players to temper their physical approach on Wednesday.

"Nowadays, you will get bookings for next to nothing," he added. "What am I going to say to them? If you don't go into tackles and challenges, then people will say you have no passion for the game. In that respect, you can't win, but we have to try and cut out unnecessary bookings."

Taken from the Scotsman