SCOTLAND head coach Shelley Kerr is in no doubt that if her team is to remain in the hunt for a World Cup spot, they must win all three points in their qualifying match against Belarus at Falkirk Stadium tonight.
The Scots are currently second in Group 2, six point behind group leaders Switzerland. Belarus are propping up the table in last place with just three points but with the Scots only securing a tight 2-1 victory in the pair’s first meeting of the campaign last October, Kerr is in no doubt that another win tonight is far from a given.
“They have players who could cause us problems if we cause ourselves problems by not executing passes well and being too expansive," she said.
"They're going to make it difficult for us. They'll sit behind the ball and will try to eliminate space so we can't play. That's what happens when you play teams who are lower ranked than you so it's up to our players to problem solve in the game.”
Kerr has been in post for just under a year and there has been steady progress made by the squad under her tenure. In particular, the last few days have given the national coach a huge confidence boost with the squad looking, she says, better than she has seen before in her reign.
“I can honestly say it's the probably the best the team have trained since I came in - it's been really good quality, tempo and attention to detail," she revealed.
"So we'll get the result we need. In an ideal world we want to play good football and score goals but if we win 1-0 and we don't perform to our optimal best I'll take it. At this stage of the campaign we want three points – simple as. But our game plan will be to play good football and create chances and opportunities."
Tonight’s game will be quickly followed by a trip to Poland for another vital World Cup qualifier and while Kerr stresses that both the coaching staff and the players are solely focused on tonight’s game, she believes she has the strength-in-depth of players to make changes for next week if need be.
“I don't think we've played the same starting eleven twice since I came in so will we play the same team on Tuesday? Probably not," she said.
"It's not lots of changes but it sends a great message and tells the players in the squad that there's not a lot between them. It's more often or not a tactical decision that you go with a team selection. It's great for us because the players are making it more difficult all the time.”
Meanwhile, Scotland captain Rachel Corsie is equally confident that her team will secure all three points this evening and she does not beat about the bush when it comes to outlining how important a victory is.
“We know we have to win, that’s the bottom line," she said.
"It’s an opportunity for us to build a bit of momentum into Tuesday’s game, not that that’s at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.
It’s nice to play at home first and hopefully get a good result and we can carry that forward.”
And Corsie has been encouraged by the return to the squad of Hibs midfielder, Lizzie Arnot, who is back in action after over a year out following an ACL injury.
Arnot was Corsie’s roommate prior to her injury lay-off and so the Utah Royals player has been delighted by her call-up to this squad – and is confident that Arnot will add considerable quality to the squad.
“Lizzie is someone who works really hard and she’s clearly worked really hard to get herself in the condition she’s in," she said.
"When she got hurt, she was probably one of the best players in the national team and was pushing for a starting place at the Euros. So having her back is a boost. We’re strong in the wide areas and up front, we’ve got a lot of options and it’s great for her to be back involved.”
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