Clarke’s captaincy contenders meet lethal Lewandowski – Scotland talking points

Scotland play their first fixture of 2022 when they host Poland in a Hampden friendly on Thursday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key talking points as Steve Clarke’s team bid to start the year on a positive note.

The nature of international football, with lengthy gaps between fixtures, means it is often more difficult to generate consistency and rhythm than at club level. In a period when they had fixtures in three consecutive months between September and November at the end of last year, Steve Clarke’s team won six games in a row as they motored into the World Cup play-off spot. With more than four months having elapsed since their last game – a rousing 2-0 win at home to Denmark – the manager will be hoping his team can somehow pick up where they left off.

The absence of Scotland captain Andy Robertson for Thursday’s game as he recovers from Covid has served to highlight just how many natural leaders Clarke has in his squad. Asked who would skipper the team against Poland, the manager said on Wednesday afternoon he had not yet made that call as he had too many contenders to choose from. While it is likely Clarke has already made his decision privately, a genuine case could be made for at least half a dozen other players in the group to wear the armband. Premier League trio Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and John McGinn are all bedrocks of the squad with natural leadership skills, while Craig Gordon, Callum McGregor and Grant Hanley are all long-serving internationals who captain their respective clubs.

The poignant aspect of this fixture will not be lost on anyone involved. Scotland should have been playing a high-stakes World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine at Hampden on Thursday, with