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Scotland head to their first World Cup since France 98 this summer and for skipper Andy Robertson, manager Steve Clarke deserves huge amounts of credit for transforming the mentality and consistancy of the side.
Clarke took over the Scottish national side in 2019 and has put an end to a cycle of failed qualification campaigns and has the Tartan Army hopeful of progressing out of the World Cup group stage for the first time in their history.
Robertson, who made his international debut in 2014, has been a key part of this transitional era and believes that the mood around the squad this summer is completely different to the one he first entered.
Robertson on how Clarke has changed Scotland’s mentality
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Reflecting on Clarke’s arrival as boss, Robertson believes that one of the 62-year-old’s priorities was to increase the squad’s experience at the highest level.
“When he first came in, what he wanted was more international experience,” the Liverpool defender explains to FourFourTwo.
Robertson will lead Scotland out at the World Cup | Credit: Alamy
“If you look at his first squad, the amount of caps we had wasn’t a lot. Sometimes he gets criticised for picking the same players, but now we have a squad with international experience, which is quite hard to get and keep together.
“Now we have a squad that’s desperate to meet up at every training camp, and doesn’t want to give a yard. Everybody wants to show up and give their best for their country. That’s down to the manager.
“I think it’s a collective effort in terms of the quality of players we’ve got, but it starts and ends with the manager in terms of what he envisaged, and he’s seen that through.
“Now we have more experience at international level, that can help you when times get tough, to get over the line in certain games. That’s been a large part of why we’ve been so good in qualifying campaigns. We know how to win games at this level.”
Robertson has also hailed Clarke’s behind-the-scenes management style, with last autumn’s pivotal win over Denmark which sealed their place in this summer’s tournament a key example of what the boss does well.
Scotland celebrate following the remarkable win over Denmark that sealed their World Cup spot | Credit: PA
“A lot of people talk about his pre-match meeting before Denmark,” he adds. “It was a huge game – we knew that if we won, we’d qualify for our first World Cup in so long.
“His team talk in the hotel before we left was inspirational – it was emotional, and maybe you don’t see that side of him too often. He went into his life journey and our journey together as a team, where we’ve been and where we want to go, and that really set the tone for that night’s game.
“I already believed it was going to be a special night, but after leaving that meeting and getting on the bus, I didn’t think anything was going to get in our way.”
