As the World Cup draws nearer, Scotland head coach Steve Clarke faces a familiar dilemma: a lack of goals from his frontline. Despite impressive form for their clubs, Oli McBurnie and Ross Stewart remain on the fringes, raising questions about selection policy.
Scotland have drawn blanks in their last two friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast, highlighting a persistent issue. Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes, Clarke's trusted duo, have been hard-working but rarely clinical. Across six World Cup qualifying matches, they managed just seven shots on target between them—Adams with two goals from six attempts, Dykes with one goal from a single effort.
Clarke's side has now scored only three goals across six group games at two European Championships, with just one direct strike from open play. The pattern is worrying.
While Clarke is expected to stick with familiar faces like Adams, Dykes, Lawrence Shankland, George Hirst, Tommy Conway, and Ben Gannon-Doak, the exclusion of in-form players such as McBurnie (scoring regularly in England's second tier) and Stewart (a prolific marksman in Scotland's Premiership) raises eyebrows.
Comparing goal tallies across leagues is complex, but the scarcity of goals from Clarke's preferred options suggests a rethink might be overdue. With the World Cup on the horizon, the question remains: will Clarke break from habit and give the new generation a chance?