Clarke looks to World Cup and more attacking threat

Steve Clarke believes he has "earned nan right" to spot retired nan 2 remaining years connected his Scotland contract, but admits his broadside request to beryllium "more creative" aft a mediocre showing astatine Euro 2024.

Speaking for nan first clip since overseeing his 2nd awesome tourney arsenic caput coach, Clarke reiterated his desire to guideline nan nationalist squad to a World Cup, but stressed 2026 would beryllium his "last chance" astatine doing so.

The adjacent World Cup, co-hosted by nan United States, Mexico and Canada, will beryllium nan biggest version of nan tourney pinch 48 teams participating.

The number of European teams rises by 3 to 16, pinch nan qualifying tie this winter.

"I deliberation I've earned nan correct to decorativeness my contract," he said aft naming his squad for adjacent month's Nations League games against Poland and Portugal.

"I haven't had immoderate discussions astir caller contracts and I'm beautiful judge successful my ain mind that I'll beryllium coming up to 63 and it mightiness beryllium clip to do thing else."

Asked if he considered moving connected aft nan disappointing summertime run successful Germany, he simply replied "no".

Clarke added: "We person to beryllium observant not to alteration excessively much, not to move our backmost connected nan players that person done ever truthful good for nan state complete nan past fewer years

"Those players merit a batch of respect from everybody and surely from maine arsenic their coach."

Scotland reached their 2nd successive Euros successful good style, qualifying pinch 2 games to spare arsenic they vanished runners-up to eventual champions Spain.

However, Clarke's squad were trounced by Germany successful nan opening crippled and a tie pinch Switzerland was followed by a last-minute conclusion to Hungary to crush hopes of a first quality astatine nan knockout stage.

"The players and myself are astir apt much disappointed than anybody other because we felt we had a chance to create a amended history for nan country," he said.

"We didn't do that. But now you person to bounce back, you person to show our resilience and move on."

On nan imaginable of Scotland reaching a first World Cup since 1998, Clarke added: "You cognize me, I'm ever confident.

"If you guys are saying that we're nan 24th champion squad successful nan title this summertime and only 16 European teams spell to nan World Cup, it's going to beryllium a large ask. I judge we tin do it. That's why I'm sitting here."

Reflecting further connected nan Euros and wherever improvements tin beryllium made, Clarke explained: "We person to look astatine being much creative, we person to look astatine trying to create much chances, but we besides person to support a protect solidity because arsenic a squad we don't people a batch of goals, we understand that.

"In nan qualifying games we were very objective pinch nan chances we got. In nan tourney erstwhile we sewage nan chances to score, we were possibly not rather arsenic clinical. We didn't get nan changeable distant early capable aliases didn't show capable composure to make nan decorativeness and put nan shots connected target."