My Scotland team v Morocco does not include Ben Gannon-Doak as Celtic man starts in system change

If we get out of the group, the performance against Haiti will be forgotten, it is then utterly unimportant. Haiti was the banana skin that Scottish World Cup sides would have headed directly towards with blissful ignorance.

We aren’t the only ones. Fortunately, I was covering Spain as they fell on their collective rear ends against tiny Cape Verde. One of my favourite things about the World Cup is that it throws up unlikely short term heroes and 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha had his wonderful moment in the sun in this one.

The fact that he looks older than his forty long hot and hard summers, just added to the joy, as did his flowing tears at the end. A goalkeeper the wrong side of forty saves his small nation at the World Cup, might that be a headline written about a Scot in the next week or so?

Craig Gordon first has to muscle Angus Gunn out of the position, and that will not happen when the team sheets are handed in for the Morocco game. That team sheet has clearly been Steve Clarke’s major concern after the first game was put to bed.

It seems almost incredible, but it may have crossed his mind about the positions of John McGinn, Scott McTominay and maybe even Andy Robertson, our three most important players. Oh all right, those thoughts probably only crossed his mind for a millisecond, but the fact that each played below their usual stratospheric standard will have been a concern.

I suspect that each will be far more comfortable and play better when we drop the 4-4-2 formation. It was the right call for Haiti, it will not be for the next two games.

There were only a fleeting ten minutes at the end of the game in Boston last week, when McTominay was moved into the more attacking position beside the striker and suddenly he was back to his imperious old self again.

Whatever Steve Clarke decides this time, I do hope it allows our attacking colossus to maraud into the opposition box more often.

Having said that, he did hit the post and headed over the bar early on, but those opportunities faded as the team did and his deeper role stifled his strengths. A point would obviously be fabulous and probably enough to take us through, but another clean sheet is unlikely, so we will have to score at some point. The Napoli talisman is arguably our best bet.

McGinn scored the crucial goal against Haiti, though his mask celebration could have been misconstrued as a bandit's mask, having basically robbed all three points from the better side. Super John still has to be a starter if fit, but in a more compact midfield he will be much more comfortable.

There is also the discomfort of the weather to consider for anyone covering those hard miles in the middle. This one is an earlier kick off in Boston, so that fabulous bowl will be a melting pot in a more literal way.

Strength in depth is in midfield

Everything points to playing a single striker this time with a 4-2-3-1, or more likely a 3-4-2-1 system. In the latter, that 4-2 between the defenders and the striker allows for a much tighter area to close down the opposition. Our strength in depth is midfield, so that might allow McGinn and McTominay playing higher up the field than Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie or Kenny McLean and then Andy Roberston on the left of that four man line.

A couple of things jump out immediately, what about Ben Gannon-Doak or indeed Findlay Curtis? As a fully paid up member of the wingers union why am I suggesting leaving both on the bench, especially as Gannon-Doak was the stand out player in the first game? Add on top of that, Aaron Hickey had his shakiest game in a Scotland shirt to date, yet I think Clarke will be minded to put him in again.

It’s about round pegs in round holes. First, Hickey is a more comfortable wing back than out and out full back, he wouldn’t be as exposed in this system with a right centre back of a three covering him. His focus would be on making ground going forward, which is where his real strengths lie.

Never forget that attacking players, especially quick wingers such as Gannon-Doak and Curtis, are fabulous weapons to use late in the battle when your adversaries are tiring just a little.

The decision of who to start with as striker will split the nation, probably four ways, at least. Lawrence Shankland worked away tirelessly in the opener but couldn’t affect the game hugely. Probably not his fault as the service to him was limited to say the least, but it probably rules him out of a starting place.

Lyndon Dykes’ qualities are obvious but not always subtle and maybe that could be the drawback. Subtlety will be needed as well as good strong hold up play against such top technical players.

You will have got there before me, Che Adams looks like a shoo-in. Many are furious that he is the managers’ go to guy, after all, his goals per game numbers aren’t fabulous for a striker.

He does however make superbly intelligent runs, he is the best we have at holding the ball up, which gives the likes of McGinn, McTominay and co the chance to get forward and create chances. I often played behind strikers and what I wanted most of all was someone who did all those things which created space for me. That is why I understand and generally agree with the managers’ call in this area.

The last consideration is the third centre back and there will be a temptation to bring back Kieran Tierney on the left. I still think the understanding between him and Robertson is extra special, Kieran knows just when to play it defensively and when to go on the front foot and attack alongside Robbo.

In the end Steve Clarke could get every decision right, the team could play well and it still might not be enough because the opposition is very special. I was at almost all the Morocco games in the last World Cup in Qatar as they made it to the semi-finals playing fabulously entertaining football.

Worryingly for us, they are even better now. We will need to be very good but we will also need to be a wee bit luck…again.