IN that paradoxical style of his when, in the same sentence, he can
sound like a fan of the opposition and a man convinced his own team will
win, Scotland coach Andy Roxburgh yesterday introduced his 16-man squad
for the next stage of his team's attempt to qualify for the 1994 World
Cup finals, the game against Italy at Ibrox a week on Wednesday, writes
Ian Paul.
A genuine admirer of the methods of Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi, the
man who has led the attacking revolution in a country where catenaccio
once reigned, Roxburgh none the less refuses to accept that they cannot
be beaten when they make their visit to Glasgow next week.
''Of course they are tough opposition,'' he said, ''but they are not
invincible. The only chance we have of winning is by producing our best.
And our preparation has to be right. It is my intention to talk very
little about the Italians to our players because I am more interested in
what we can do on the night.''
Naming a pool of players which was entirely predictable, Roxburgh
revealed his own excited anticipation of the ''glamour'' game of the
qualifying programme when he added: ''It is a career ambition to play
against the Italians. They are the cream of the crop.''
Ironically, that ambition, when realised, could produce a result that
might make it almost impossible for Scotland to continue their
astonishing record of success in qualifying.
The main team news from both camps concerns defenders and does not
enhance Scotland's prospects. On the one hand, Richard Gough, the
Rangers man who has hit a peak of form this year, was confirmed as a
non-starter after having suffered a recurrence of a groin injury in the
game against Celtic. The coach also confirmed news from Italy that
Franco Baresi, that wonderful defensive organiser of AC Milan, will
return to the fold for the game at Ibrox.
''Richard was optimistic but when I spoke to Rangers manager Walter
Smith, he said that the club doctor thought he would be pushed to be fit
in two weeks. I think the optimism was misplaced. It is a big blow.''
Baresi will be one of perhaps half-a-dozen AC Milan players who will
turn out in Scotland. So will Milan's Gianluigi Lentini, who cost #13m
from Torino, and Juventus stars Gianlucca Vialli and Roberto Baggio.
Roxburgh, understandably, enthuses about such names but does not
ignore the fact that the great resurgence in Italy has been led mainly
by foreign imports, and even Sacchi, who has masterminded the Milan
dominance, does not find it easy to reproduce that brilliance in an
all-Italian side at the moment.
The opposition exudes a class and glamour which will entice a full
house to Ibrox next week, but Roxburgh believes that this will spur his
men.
The 16 chosen excludes five players from the squad originally picked
last time out, Jim McInally, Kevin Gallacher, Brian McClair, Alan
McLaren, and Pat Nevin. But the coach insisted that nothing significant
should be deduced from that.
''We will have players on stand-by, some of whom I have already spoken
to. But, really, every player who is Scottish and fit is on stand-by.
The idea is to focus on our likely 16 for the preparation but until the
midweek games are played we can't really begin to make up our minds
about the actual line-up.''
The absence of Manchester United's Brian McClair, who was booed when
he came on as a substitute for Gallacher in the game against Portugal at
Ibrox, should not, according to the coach be taken as ''sinister''. He
went on: ''Brian is out simply because Gordon Durie is back again and
Brian himself has had a slight loss of confidence. I had a long chat
with him and his manager Alex Ferguson about his situation and there is
nothing sinister about his being left out this time. Brian was excellent
for us in the summer in Sweden and has done well for us before,
especially away from home.''
Like the others left out from last time, apart from the injured
Gallacher, McClair will be on stand-by. But especially as his squad have
already lost a key man in Gough, Roxburgh hopes that all 16 will emerge
from midweek exercise intact. On past form, it is a forlorn hope.
As is his style, Roxburgh is optimistic and willing to accept the
Italian media's view that a draw for both teams would not be a bad
thing. ''But winning would be a real boost for us because losing home
games leaves you an uphill climb. We would rather not be going to places
like Portugal having to win,'' he said.
One player who might have been considered an added asset for the tie,
Duncan Ferguson of Dundee United, is being kept in the Under-21 squad
who face the Italians, European champions at this level, for the game at
Fir Park in the afternoon.
Ferguson, if he has recovered from the injury which kept him out of
the United side against St Johnstone on Saturday, would be an ideal
front-line foil for Aberdeen's Scott Booth, according to manager Craig
Brown. ''They have never played as a double up front,'' he said, ''but
they are a potentially exciting partnership.''
Brown insisted that Ferguson has been very ''responsive'' since his
first call-up to the Under-21s, for a friendly at Perth, where he was
sent back to Tannadice for wearing bicycle shorts in defiance of the
coach's directions.
Meanwhile, four injured men, including Borussia Dortmund striker
Stephane Chapuisat, who played a big part in Celtic's UEFA Cup defeat
last week, were released yesterday from the Swiss training camp for next
week's qualifier against Malta.
The squads
SCOTLAND
Goalkeepers -- Goram (Rangers), Smith (Hearts).
Defenders -- Boyd (Celtic), Levein (Hearts), Malpas (Dundee United),
McPherson (Rangers), Whyte (Middlesbrough).
Midfielders -- Collins (Celtic), Durrant (Rangers), Ferguson
(Rangers), McAllister (Leeds), McCall (Rangers), McStay (Celtic).
Forwards -- Durie (Tottenham), McCoist (Rangers), Robertson (Hearts).
ITALY
Marchegiani, Pagliuca; Dino Baggio, Baresi, Costacurta, Maldini, Di
Chiara, Lanna, Mannini; Bianchi, Corini, Albertini, Donadoni, Eranio,
Lentini; Roberto Baggio, Vialli, Mancini, Signori.
SCOTLAND UNDER-21s
Reid (Hibernian), Howie (Clyde), Burley (Chelsea), Wright
(Aberdeen), Salton (Luton), Bain (Dundee), McAuley (St Johnstone),
Bernard (Oldham), Bollan (Dundee United), Darren Ferguson (Manchester
United), Hendry (Clydebank), O'Neil (Celtic), McLaren (Dundee United),
Duncan Ferguson (Dundee United), Booth (Aberdeen), Dailly (Dundee
United).
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