For Poland, the recriminations from a 5-1 thrashing to Portugal rumble on. On and off the pitch, an air of turmoil surrounds the team standing between Scotland and Nations League relegation.
If Steve Clarke thinks he gets a rough ride, he should try working in Warsaw. At a tense and eventful press conference in the capital’s national stadium, coach Michal Probierz bandied words with a radio reporter who accused him of emitting nerves and coming across like a ‘besieged fortress’.
The Poles’ logistics manager, Lukasz Gawrjolek, describes himself as the team’s ‘troubleshooter’, but was forced to apologise for the embarrassing blunder which followed an attempt to put ineligible striker Karol Swiderski on as a substitute during last Friday’s match in Lisbon.
Last, but not least, captain Piotr Zielinski refuted allegations of acting like a simpering fan boy when he joined team-mate Nicola Zalewski in posing for post-match selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo after a heavy defeat.
Unrepentant, Zielinski faced his critics head-on. It was that kind of press conference.
‘For me, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the top players in the history of football,’ said the Inter Milan midfielder. ‘I felt like taking a picture and I did. That’s it.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring in Portugal’s 5-1 thrashing of Poland on Friday night
Nicola Zalewski and Piotr Zielinski ask Ronaldo for a selfie after Poland’s heavy defeat in Porto
Poland coach Michal Probierz has pleaded for unity after a run of five defeats in eight matches
‘Why is it unbecoming? We lost the match, but what should I do? Hide in a corner? I went up to him and asked him for a picture and that’s it. That’s what I felt like doing.’
Former Poland international Jacek Bak slammed Zielinski and Zalewski, prompting a shrug from the skipper.
‘He has the right to have his own opinion. But I don’t think there was anything wrong with it.’
When Zielinski said his piece, Gawrjolek took the mic to offer a grovelling apology for the Swiderski cock-up.
‘This situation is really my mistake, which I take responsibility for. I will do everything possible to prevent this from happening again.’
After five defeats in eight matches, it fell to under-fire coach Probierz to plead for understanding and unity. Nothing would do more to bring the court of public opinion back on side than beating Scotland and sealing third place — and a relegation play-off — in League A, Group 1.
‘In difficult situations we’re all together,’ said Probierz. ‘The 90 minutes are of key importance. This time we failed, but we know what to do, how to play, how to work. Every player is a human being. We sometimes forget about that. These are people living their lives and they are young people.’
In theory at least, the strife in the Polish camp should be good news for Scotland. Clarke’s team could even finish second in the section if they find a way to beat the rattled Poles — and Croatia succumb to Portugal in Split — with a three-goal swing in their favour. While the odds have shortened after the helpful results of last Friday night, hopes of the Portuguese keeping their end of the bargain have receded after their 5-1 win guaranteed top spot in the group.
Coach Roberto Martinez has already sent Ronaldo home to rest. Three of his other key stars — Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Pedro Neto of Chelsea — will also be given the night off. Alarmingly for those who recall his underwhelming loan spell at Rangers last season, Fabio Silva is likely to be handed his international debut as a replacement.
In reality then, Scotland’s chances of finishing second and reaching a two-legged quarter-final against a League A group winner — likely to be Italy, Germany or Spain — are no better than slim. Sealing third spot and a relegation play-off at Poland’s expense is the immediate priority.
Securing a precious pot-one seeding in the World Cup qualifying draw on December 13 needs a number of variables to fall into place on the same night.
Finish third or fourth after tonight’s games — still the most likely scenario — and the repercussions are crippling.
Relegation to League B of the Nations League would mean a pot-three seeding in the World Cup draw, with the task of reaching Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026 becoming a good deal more difficult.
Only 16 teams from Europe will compete at the 48-nation finals and only one team will progress automatically from each of the 12 groups. The way it looks now, pot one is likely to be France, Spain, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland and Denmark. Taking their place alongside the biggest nations would spare Clarke’s team the task of having to beat them.
That Scotland are even part of the conversation at this stage is an unexpected turn-up. When Euro 2024 ended in a cautious, conservative exit at the hands of an underwhelming Hungary side, Clarke found himself in a difficult place.
For the second Euros in succession, the national team had stunk out the tournament. One point from three games against Germany, Switzerland and the Hungarians led to another early flight home. The performances were more alarming than the results.
That was all in stark contrast with a thrilling qualifying campaign. Hindsight shows us that the Scots were not just handicapped by injuries to key players. Like so many teams in Germany, they were dead on their feet after too many games in a saturated calendar.
Whatever the reason for the failure, the Euros left Clarke under severe scrutiny.
In preparation for the finals, he’d agreed to take on friendlies against a Jude Bellingham-inspired England, as well as France and the Netherlands. The Scots acquired a dangerous habit of conceding too many goals and not just to the major nations.
They lost two in Georgia, three to Norway, one to Northern Ireland, two to Finland. By the time they’d failed to keep a clean sheet against Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Croatia, the record read one win in 16 games. Even a manager with credit in the bank can’t keep losing forever. Performances don’t always equate to points in League A of the Nations League and, after the opening three games, the Scots didn’t have any.
A welcome clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against the Portuguese last month put something on the board. Despite riding their luck against Croatia last Friday night, meanwhile, the team eked out a valuable three points.
Suddenly the group is rent with possibilities and Clarke’s battalion of critics have fallen silent. If the Nations League ends in tears, with Ben Doak starting on the bench, they won’t stay quiet for long.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk