‘I don't know what people expect' - Scotland critics blasted as ex-Celtic boss reveals Tartan Army flight encounter

A strike from John McGinn in the 28th minute secured a vital victory for Scotland in their World Cup opener in the early hours of Sunday morning; however, the team’s nervy performance against a nation ranked 41 places below them in the FIFA World Rankings came in for criticism after the game.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke should have every right to be delighted with the result, though, according to former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, who believes the win against Haiti can provide a platform for them to get another big result when they face Morocco in their second game at the Gillette Stadium on Friday night.

“I don’t know what people expect from Scotland in terms of the style of football,” Postecoglou told ITV Sport. “If you look at the make up of the team, they’re a big, strong, physical side. Even Scott [McTominay] at his best, it’s physicality that separates him from others. I don’t think it’s about the style as much. They need to be really disciplined in their approach, and take their opportunities when they come along.

“The victory gives them that bedrock to go against Morocco and Brazil, who obviously have much higher credentials, but it could almost suit them to play the kind of football they want to play. I flew over to the tournament last night with a bunch of Scots. They really believe they can win this World Cup! So I can imagine after that game [vs Haiti] how they are feeling!

“If they stick to their principles...look at their line up. McGinn can score from midfield, McTominay can definitely score from midfield. Lewis Ferguson is another physical presence in there. That can really put some pressure on an opposition. Ben Gannon-Doak. I gave him his debut at 16, and he’s an exciting young talent. He has no fear in him.

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“I played him against Rangers when he was a 16-year-old, and you could see then that he had no fear. So there’s a platform, and as Roy [Keane] said, sometimes when you’re expected to win a game, you go out there and you’re a little bit tight. Against Morocco? They’ve got nothing to lose.”

Fellow TV pundit Roy Keane, who ended his career with Celtic in 2006, also backed Scotland to give Group C opponents Morocco and Brazil a run for the money, and has told them that they have every reason to believe they can qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament with more than just three points.

“The big pressure was on the game they just won,” said Keane. “That win eases the pressure, because they were expected to win and to dominate possession. I think Scotland should be delighted. Yeah, you can analyse the performance and say it wasn’t good enough, but this idea of will three points be enough [to qualify for the knockouts], listen, I was at the Brazil-Morocco game, I think Scotland should feel they can get results against them. There’s nothing to be frightened of. They’ve got them three points, a little bit of a foundation, there’s no pressure.

“But don’t get bogged down in thinking will three points be enough. They need to go and believe they can get more results. They certainly have great spirit and belief and they can grind out results. It might be slightly easier in the next two games. They can sit in, and there’s no great expectations. But don’t settle for three points - they’re good enough to go and get more results.”