Stuart Armstrong Southampton
Stuart Armstrong believes Scotland are “steadily getting better” and insists “it’s all to play for” for his nation tomorrow.
Stuart Armstrong said “After the first game there was obviously a lot of disappointment surrounding the result. So we knew we had to get something from the game (against England), be that one point or three points. So to come away with what we set out to achieve was obviously massive for us. It sets us up for the final game of the tournament, keeps us in it. I think we’re quietly sticking to our gameplan, building on our past two performances. We’re steadily getting better. It’s a simple game on Tuesday – it’s a must-win for both teams. So it should prove exciting, it should be open, at times. It’s all to play for. There’s a lot of expectation on the game. I don’t think there’s too much depth to the thinking behind it. It’s simple for both teams. They’ll both be wanting to win and a draw is no good to anyone. It’s pretty straightforward thinking.”
Armstrong started the opening game against Czech Republic before coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes against England.
Discussing his own performances so far, the 29-year-old said: “The Czech Republic game was difficult. They defended really well and were man-marking almost. So it was difficult and quite frustrating.
Stuart Armstrong said “Wembley was obviously open and it was a different type of role. It was to bring the ball out of pressure and give that little bit of rest. At these big tournaments you just need to help the team in any way you can. Any minute I do play on the pitch, I’ll be aiming to do that.”
Asked if he feels he’s done enough to earn a start against Croatia, Stuart Armstrong added: “I don’t think we think like that as players. I think because it’s a massive tournament and it’s a squad, when you do get the opportunity to play, you do everything you can for the team in any way you can.”
Che Adams earned praise for his performance against England on Friday, receiving a standing ovation from the Scotland fans. And Saints team-mate Armstrong was also impressed by the striker’s display.
Stuart Armstrong said: “I thought he was excellent at Wembley. A really good performance. A hard performance against good quality defence. So it was really pleasing for me to see him perform so well. I’ve obviously seen that every week at Southampton, so to get on the pitch together would be nice and to link up. As long as the ball goes in the net, I’m not too bothered!”
The Tartan Army are currently bottom of the pile with one point, but only behind Croatia on goal difference. Top-two England and Czech Republic face off at Wembley at the same time, both currently on four points. Scotland host Croatia in their final Euro 2020 Group D match at Hampden Park, still with a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Steve Clarke’s side were beaten 2-0 by Czech Republic in their opening fixture, before producing an impressive display to draw 0-0 with England at Wembley Stadium on Friday night. All eyes will now be on Hampden Park, with Scotland still able to finish on four points, which should be enough to see them qualify in second or third place in the group.
