Fortune shines on Craig Levein after Scotland's night of near disaster

There is no excuse for Scotland's lack of urgency and imagination against opposition such as Liechtenstein

Optimism can apparently arrive without justification. Onlookers were entitled to be more than bemused while listening to Craig Levein's post-match comments last night. Scotland had toiled to beat Liechtenstein – coming within seconds of the worst result in their history – and here was a manager expressing how "thrilled" he was with what had occurred.

Yes, Levein is in the results business. Lithuania's shock victory over the Czech Republic meant Scotland's simultaneous failure to record a victory would head the catalogue of international debacles which have filled their history. At least draws with the Faroe Islands and the loss to Costa Rica occurred outside of Glasgow. The recurring theme? The disinclination of Scottish teams, both at club and international level, to thrive when the onus is on them to take a game to their opponents.

The Tartan Army's booing of Liechtenstein's national anthem – which shares a tune with God Save The Queen, you see – was as predictable as it was plain stupid. Even these kilt-clad masses, though, didn't deserve the 97 minutes of torture which followed.

Scotland top Group I today, even if there is little justification for believing these, ahem, heady days can be maintained. The most worrying aspect of the closing stages against tiny Liechtenstein was that Levein's men scarcely appeared likely to conjure up a winner. They will travel to Prague, early next month, to face a wounded and hungry Czech side.

Levein will take little satisfaction from proving a point. He would never admit it, but the manager seemed partly pushed towards adopting a 4-4-2 by public expectation. Only a day earlier, he had emphasised how "no team" in international football operates with two strikers at the one time.

By definition, Levein is pragmatic. The 4-5-1 system operated by Scotland in Lithuania summed up his managerial style with Levein, rightly, content with the defensive showing of his team. The "success" of that formation in achieving a scoreless draw handed Levein a genuine dilemma; could and should he persist with it for the visit of the second worst team Scotland had ever faced in a competitive game?

The punters wouldn't have liked it, and we will never know the outcome, but perhaps Levein should have stuck with his original mindset. Only after the introduction of midfield players, not strikers, did Scotland retrieve an utterly desperate situation.

Levein had been irked by criticism of his tactics, issuing a "like-it-or-lump-it" message to his detractors on Monday. Yet the notion that Scotland should canter to victory against Lithuania, based on football history and tradition, has no basis in fact. Nobody who has tracked the manager's career in club football, moreover, should have been shocked by his style.

Many had considered what damage a draw in Lithuania could cause to hopes of qualification for Euro 2012, especially after Scotland dominated the match. David Weir even used his 76 years of experience to admit he would be "surprised" if the Czechs or Spain dropped any points against the same opposition. But events in Olomouc last night blew that theory well and truly out of the water, Lithuania's goalkeeper saving a penalty in keeping the Czech Republic at bay.

Such moments, coupled with Stephen McManus's winning header only moments short of 10pm at Hampden, endorse the sense that Levein carries one crucial commodity; luck. Sir Alex Ferguson, and to a lesser extent Walter Smith and Alex McLeish, are among other Scots managers for whom the Gods have smiled when they needed it most. That trait must not be undervalued.

There should be no doubt that Levein would have faced a battle to hang on to his job today if Liechtenstein had held on for victory. Even a draw would have prompted serious pressure on a manager who enjoys a more positive press than his immediate predecessor, George Burley.

The group of players at the Scotland manager's disposal has diminished in quality during the past two decades but there is still no excuse for their lack of urgency and imagination against opposition such as Liechtenstein. Perhaps Levein's positive post-match sentiment hinted at his belief that this squad is painfully short on confidence.

Next month's games against the Czech Republic and Spain suit Levein perfectly. There will be no sighting of James McFadden who was utterly abject and hauled off at half-time against Liechtenstein. He surely will not figure in those next matches. There will be no thought of anything other than blunt, defensive football, with the Scots hoping to scratch their way towards two draws.

Last night represented a let-off, possibly the biggest Scotland have ever enjoyed. It could kick-start the national team's fortunes. More importantly, it should serve as a permanent reminder for anybody within Scottish football who delves near the territory of misplaced arrogance.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer