Scotland only have themselves to blame for World Cup struggles

It was a night to forget for The Tartan Army, simple mistakes saw the five-time winners make easy work of their opponents and safely secure their place in the knockout stages.  

For Scotland, they have a slight glimmer of hope as they could reach the Round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams if results elsewhere go their way.

But if Scotland fail to make the knockout stages of a major tournament once more, they only have themselves to blame. 

'We made it difficult for ourselves'

In the sweltering Miami heat, it's no surprise that manager Steve Clarke was frustrated when he gave a short post-match interview. 

"We made it difficult for ourselves, that’s it," Clarke told BBC Sport.  "We gave them the goals, we gave them the game they wanted, disappointed."

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Dejected Steve Clarke frustrated at Scotland performance

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When it came to a potential place in the Round of 32 and how the team will be keeping focused, Clarke said "I don’t want to even think about that," before walking off. 

While Clarke has every right to be prickly, he and his players did not put in the hard yards to make this group stage a lot less stressful. 

Scotland's attack the downfall of World Cup campaign

With Morocco and Brazil in the same group, it was always going to be their opener against Haiti which would prove the difference. 

While Scotland did beat Haiti 1-0, it was an opportunity missed. 

Scotland had the firepower to put more goals past Haiti, John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Lawrence Shankland have all delivered for their respective clubs, but could not replicate this form on the World Cup stage. 

As a result, Scotland were walking a tightrope in their other two group games where any sizeable defeat would make their hopes of reaching the knockout stages quickly vanish. 

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Clarke's demeanour during this tournament as manager would have not helped either. He is not someone who wears his heart on his sleeve, but during some of his media duties, it felt like he wanted to be anywhere else but on the touchline. 

International football often relies on squad harmony, and with how Clarke is projecting himself, it does not seem there is much of it. 

The sights of The Tartan Army enjoying themselves in the States should be enough to inspire the national team to make it a trip to remember, but they were unable to match the passion in the stands on the pitch. 

If Scotland do manage to reach the World Cup knockout stages through the back door, then it will be cause for celebration, but expect this to be quickly followed by trepidation after three underwhelming performances.

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