Smith vows to spring surprises on rivals in quest to qualify

Kris Boyd, who scored twice in the 6-0 rout of the Faeroe Isles on Saturday in Glasgow and has four goals in his three Scotland appearances, could be jettisoned in order to allow Gary Caldwell, of Celtic, to strengthen the midfield as Smith reshapes his team for the meeting at the Saint Darius and Saint Girenas Stadium with the side that shocked Italy four days ago.

The Lithuanians’ 1-1 draw with the world champions in Naples is part of the unpredictability that Smith is counting on for Scotland to have a chance of earning one of the two qualification places in the face of such formidable rivals as France, Italy and the Ukraine.

It has been assumed that Smith’s team are vying with Lithuania and Georgia for fourth place, while the Faeroese will be the whipping boys. However, the Scotland manager believes that he will require different line-ups for the varying tasks and will eschew the 4-3-3 formation that brought goals against the Faeroes and go for a more compact 3-4-2-1 that has served him well on recent travels. The system has produced victories in Norway and Slovenia in the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Like Paul Le Guen, Smith has identified that, while the prolific Boyd provides a much-yearned-for cutting edge in the box, the Rangers striker’s work outside it is less enthralling.

Le Guen kept Boyd on the bench for the opening three games of the season, and Kenny Miller’s greater ability at holding up the ball has assured the Celtic striker of starting the second match of the group.

“I am not aware of a debate about whether Boyd plays or not,” Smith said yesterday after Scotland’s arrival in Kaunas. “I pick the team that I think is the best on the night. The only debate that will take place is between me and the rest of the coaching staff.”

Smith is well aware that the impressive success against the Faeroes has increased the level of expectation for him to deliver six points from the opening two fixtures, before facing the might of Thierry Henry and Andriy Shevchenko inside four intense days next month when the French and Ukrainian assignments are undertaken.

However, as the Scotland manager pointed out, group B may not go to plan for anyone. Smith suspects that the heightened level of competition will mimic the 2006 World Cup qualifying group in which France, Switzerland, Ireland and Israel were all still capable of qualifying on the last day.

“There are going to be a lot of results in this group that will surprise people and hopefully Scotland supply most of them,” Smith said. “Even if we took six points from our first two games, we would not be certainties to go through. Equally, we might just have three points and still qualify.

“We just want to stay as close to the favoured teams as we can. Italy play France and what happens if they lose — they will only have one point. That will not mean they are out.

“It is not going to work out like that. Equally, we cannot look at the group and say if we don’t win here, that’s it. There will be surprises. Italy have to face the Ukraine next month and one, or both, could drop points. We have a hard task because I rated the Lithuanians as a good side before the draw in Naples, but all we can do is find a consistency of performance that takes us on a good run.”

One of Smith’s protégés, Gennaro Gattuso, the AC Milan midfield man who played under Smith at Rangers, felt that Lithuania reached a peak against Italy that cannot be replicated.

“I hope he’s right,” Smith said. “Obviously Lithuania put a lot of effort into that game, but the result will lift them. Any team would be delighted at holding Italy and the confidence gained could overcome any tiredness. But if they are off the pace, we have to take advantage.”

The last time Scotland came to Kaunas was three years ago when they lost 1-0 in the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign under Berti Vogts. There is a greater solidity, though, now that Smith is in charge.

Ironically, the backbone of the home side is supplied by Heart of Midlothian, whose Lithuanian owner, Vladimir Romanov, will be in the stadium tonight to see Craig Gordon, the goalkeeper, Steven Pressley, the central defender, and Paul Hartley, the playmaker, face perhaps three of the Hearts side who play for Lithuania.

One player whom Romanov is keen to recruit to Tynecastle, Garry O’Connor, the former Hibernian striker now with Lokomotiv Moscow, was left behind yesterday because of a virus.

Scotland, meanwhile, have complained to Uefa about the state of the pitch in Kaunas, which is waterlogged and rutted. “Yes, the pitch is bad,” Smith said. “But hopefully it will be cut and rolled before the kick-off.

SCOTLAND (possible: 3-4-2-1): C Gordon (Heart of Midlothian) — C Dailly (West Ham United), D Weir (Everton), S Pressley (Heart of MIdlothian) — G Caldwell (Celtic), P Hartley (Heart of Midlothian), N Quashie (West Bromwich Albion), G Naysmith (Everton) — D Fletcher (Manchester United), J McFadden (Everton) — K Miller (Celtic).

LITHUANIA (possible; 4-2-3-1): Z Karcemarskas (Dynamo Moscow) — T Zvirgzdauskas (Halmstad BK), M Stankevicius (Brescia), A Skerla (Tom Tomsk), R Dziaukstas (Saturn Ramenskoye) — M Savenas (Ekranas Panevezys), A Preiksaitis (Vetra Vilnius) — D Cesnauskis (Heart of Midlothian), T Labukas (Zalgiris Vilnius), S Mikoliunas (Heart of Midlothian) — T Danilevicius (AC Livorno).

Referee: V Hrinak (Slovakia).

Taken from timesonline.co.uk