Clarke had to ‘kick backsides & give cuddles’ after Germany loss
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke says he had to “kick a couple of backsides” and “give a couple of cuddles” after admitting some miscommunication contributed to their humbling Euro 2024 defeat by Germany.
Scotland were beaten 5-1 in Munich on Friday night, but Clarke insists the squad “know what went wrong” ahead of their second group match against Switzerland on Wednesday.
He admitted he may have given the squad “too much information”, which could have “clouded the players”.
“I’ve spoken to the players about what I feel was wrong from my side and what I gave them,” said Clarke.
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“I had a little chat with a lot of them on the training pitch this morning. Just to try to put one or two things in their head about things they maybe didn’t do on the pitch that they should have done.”
The Scots face Switzerland, who defeated Hungary 3-1 on Saturday, in Cologne before finishing their group campaign against the Hungarians on 23 June in Stuttgart.
“I think their interpretatio n of what we asked them to do was wrong, so we’ve worked on that.
Clarke insisted Scotland can still qualify for the knockout stages but admitted they will need a minimum of four points and have lost the “little safety net” of a higher goal difference when it comes to potentially finishing as one of the best third-placed sides.
“We believe in ourselves – there’s no danger of that,” he added. “We know it was a bad night.
“We have to accept all the criticism that comes our way and then we have to put it right. To be in football, you have to be very resilient.”
Ryan Porteous’ first-half red card for a dangerous tackle on Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan compounded Scotland’s struggles in Munich.
Clarke backed the Watford centre-half, who will miss the Switzerland game through suspension, following criticism of his challenge.
“He hasn’t been sent off for a couple of years, Ryan,” the manager pointed out. “He’s been great for us since I gave him his chance in Ukraine.
“The other night he was trying to stop a clear goalscoring opportunity. He definitely went in too hard and we’re all pleased that Gundogan has no lasting damage.
“It is something Ryan will learn, but it was an honest challenge to try to get the ball. I wouldn’t be too hard on him.”