James McFadden chastised Rangers striker John Souttar for losing an opportunity to equalise for Scotland against Croatia on October 12.
While Souttar’s attempted header was challenging, McFadden said in an interview with BBC Sportsound on October 12, at 6:14 p.m., that he should have done more to put Dominik Livakovic to the test.
Scotland lost 2-1 in Zagreb, and Souttar, who started for the Tartan Army after playing every minute for the Gers this season, missed the far post with his attempt to tie the score.
“I think he can get more on it, but it’s not a great ball and he is stretching,” McFadden remarked.
“I may be being a little harsh on Livakovic, but it seemed like he could get more on it than he actually did. It almost seems like he’s trying to just take the sting off it and guide it into the far post instead of going and attacking it.”
John Souttar will be a constant presence for Scotland and Rangers
Souttar was perhaps the most reliable of his defenders on the opposite end as two errors in concentration from the flanks cost Scotland in Zagreb, despite his lacklustre finishing in front of goal.
Souttar, who is playing for just the tenth time, did more than enough to maintain his spot in the starting lineup when Steve Clarke’s team takes on Portugal on October 15. This will both concerning and beneficial for Philippe Clement.
This season, only Jack Butland has played as many minutes as Souttar, so if the centre-back gets hurt, Clement would have a lot of shoes to fill.
Souttar’s stock will, however, skyrocket if he can build on his Croatian performance by containing players like Rafael Leao, Diogo Jota, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although he still has a lot of improvement to go in front of the goal, Souttar is in a good position to build on his excellent season debut given the upcoming defensive challenges for both club and nation.
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