Lady Luck shines on Scotland as Levein content with draw

alasdair reid

CRAIG LEVEIN, the Scotland manager, last night said he was happy with the 2014 World Cup qualifying draw that placed his team in the same pool as three sides from the Balkans but kept them away from the recognised giants of European football.

The draw, which took place in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, put fourth-seeded Scotland in a group that also included the higher-ranked Croatia, Serbia and Belgium. The lower seeds in the pool are Macedonia and Wales.

While Levein acknowledged that there could have been easier opponents than those last two, he admitted that Scotland had been lucky with their higher-placed opponents.

"My initial reaction was that the top two in the group could have been worse," said Levein. "If you draw Spain and France as the top two you're up against it.

"Don't get me wrong. Croatia are a fantastic team and so are Serbia. But it's not Germany and it's not Spain. England would have been a nice one, but it would have been tough. To that end, I was reasonably happy.

"Wales bring complications from pot six and Macedonia have been difficult to beat over there. I wasn't jumping through hoops when Belgium came out, but the last two were better than they could have been."

In effect, Levein continued, Group A is the most compressed of the nine European qualifying pools. "Normally, you get a massive gap between the top teams and the bottom teams," the Scotland manager explained. "This group is really condensed. That gives everyone a chance in the group.

"I don't know any managers in international football these days who are overly bullish about beating anyone, football throws up results where the underdogs come out on top. I look at this group and there are loads of situations where we can pick up points.

"If things aren't going well there are loads of banana skins as well. It's a condensed group where the top and bottom teams are not so far apart. We're in the middle and have to play above ourselves. If we do, then this is a good draw."

As he prepares to lead Scotland in their effort to get to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998, Levein said he was happy with the current trajectory of his team. If the progress they have made over the past year continues for another 12 months – the window for qualifying matches is from September 2012 to October 2013 – then Scotland should go into the process with confidence, he claimed.

"Our team is improving," said Levein. "That's what gives me encouragement. If we can make the same strides we have over the past year, and there's no reason to think we won't, then we'll be ready for just about anybody.

"It's all about improving. I believe that if we qualify for one then we'll qualify for the next one and possibly the one after that as well. It's about getting the stream of talent coming through on a regular basis.

"Teams are changing their style of play, looking at European sides and playing a different style. It might take the purists some time to appreciate the changes, but I'm encouraged.

"I'm optimistic about Scotland, I'm optimistic about the SPL. I'm optimistic about where we're heading. I look at this group and see some fantastic teams in it, but I put us in that category. And we're getting better."

Before a ball is kicked, however, Levein has to fight his corner when the teams gather to discuss fixture dates in a few weeks time. The manager admitted that he was anxious to avoid playing in the Balkans in the heat of summer, as Scotland did when they lost to Macedonia in sweltering temperatures three years ago, where they went down 1-0 in Skopje. However, he acknowledged that compromises will have to be made.

"You make a list of things that you think are important," he explained. "You try to achieve the most important and then work down to the stuff you might be able to bend on. You're basically fighting for the things that you want, but you always have to give something up. If there are some things that you can move on to let the top two or three things happen then that's what you do."

Taken from the Herald