by The debate over who should start for Scotland in their European Championship opener against Germany is likely to continue until Steve Clarke leads his team into action at the Allianz Arena, with the question of who in the hit position is a hotly debated topic. .
Since plying his trade in Scotland, Lawrence Shankland’s blistering form for Heart of Midlothian this season has put him at the forefront of many minds within the Tartan Army, with his 27 goals for the club in all competitions – and his. goal against his country’s Georgia – making him a popular choice to start against Germany in June.
Squad hurlers Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes will have plenty to say about that, however, and so can manager Clarke, who favors one of his forwards he trusts in such a big game for the country.
That’s what former Scottish striker Billy Dodds thinks, anyway. Dodds is a huge fan of Shankland, and admires him for the way he has risen from the brink to have such a successful career, and firmly staked his claim for a place in the Scotland squad for major competition.
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But when push comes to shove, Dodds believes Clarke will remain loyal to the men who have served him so well in recent years, with Adams the man he wants to play in attack for the tournament hosts. .
“I love players who travel, if you want to put it that way,” Dodds said.
“Players who have trouble being left out, they think: ‘I’ll show them’. And I think it gave them plenty of food for thought.
“Now, the way Scotland play, it’s great if we’re behind a game because we could throw it at them.
“The way Scotland play, we need mobility. That’s no small feat for Lawrence Shankland because he’s the best finisher. But sometimes we have to understand that we get our best results by playing a formation that suits us and that’s with a striker who really gets the pitch.
“I’m not saying Lawrence isn’t saying, but the type of striker he is, he’s a great addition in terms of goals, we can throw him on, and he can score. He has proven it.
“He [Clarke] ended up putting Shankland in the final squad and maybe now look at it and think: OK, I have two that made us proud in the past, that did well, that got us to the Euro and got great results for us.
“So those two have the upper hand right now and now Lawrence is another little ingredient in the mix where you’re a natural goalscorer. So, it’s a good thing to have.
“It’s like adding little by little. And that is what the manager might be thinking. Maybe he is thinking: ‘He looked to prove me wrong, I love his thought process when I show him, he scored his goal’.
“That had already been done at that level, but it was against the smaller teams. and it was such an important goal in Georgia.
“For me, it’s how he was out of the picture, out of the squad and he came in to do that.
“So if we’re losing to those teams with 15 minutes to go, it’s great for Lawrence to say: ‘Go and try to get us back into the game by going into the box.’
“But that’s not what I’m trying to say that he can’t start, either. I really have no choice. If you’re asking me what I think Stevie Clarke might do, I think he’d choose to start with Che Adams against the top teams and the other guys will play a real part, but then, I might wrong!”
Although he is 28 years old, it may seem strange that Shankland might have to serve an apprenticeship for his country, but with just seven international caps to his name, Dodds feels the Hearts captain may need more patience show.
And if he gets any opportunities over the friends in this window against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland, he must take them.
“That’s how international people should always be,” he said.
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“The late Craig Brown always made you do your apprenticeship.
“Come with us in a squad, sit and watch and see what you might be able to do when you succeed, then we’ll do a subsection for you, then half an hour. You had to earn your place. That’s what I feel with Lawrence.
“Fans will say what kind of striker they like and usually they’ll say: ‘He’s a goalscorer, get him in’. But that is not always beneficial for the team.
“Che Adams is quick, effortless, puts teams on the back foot and is a handful. Sometimes Big Lyndon is not a natural goal scorer, but he will score important goals.
“So, there’s that balance. But Shankland is a fantastic addition in terms of options if we go to the Finals, if he makes the squad. He has a chance in these two games.”
