Scotland's defeat - who's really to blame

Scotland's world cup hopes come to an end, naturally we are left asking the question of why we have failed on the big stage again. Whilst many blame Steve Clarks tactics or individual performances, I feel the root of the issue goes back many years in how these players were brought up.

Our world cup hopes wasn't destroyed in that last match against Brazil, rather it was already lost 7/8 years ago. Whilst this may seem harsh, results dont lie. How players and national teams perform now is a direct result in the system they the developed in. Scotland's defeat vs Brazil showcased a key difference in players were developed.

In Scotland we rush players into large format football, we feel that more players and bigger pitches means more development. Not only do players go into large format games early in Scotland compared to many other nations not just Brazil but we completely neglect small sided games when players move to larger formats. This means Less touches of the ball, less repetition of the core skills, less decision making, more time and space on the ball. In are large format 11v11 football match players are lucky to touch the ball 30 times per game, they spent 50% of the game walking or standing still. Is this really what develops players. Furthermore I firmly believe that football development should be like school. In education players don't learn algebra before they can count, there is a natural, smooth long term progress, gradually building up skills and understanding. Why is football not the same? 90% of the players I see, even at professional academies have not properly mastered 1v1 yet. How can players progress in 11v11 if they have not had the time to master 1v1, 2v1, 2v2 etc.

In Brazil things are drastically different, most players do not play large format structured football until 12/13 years old, instead mainly developing through futsal. In fact Ronaldo one of not only Brazil's best ever players but one of the worlds greatest players did not play football until he was 14 years old. Marcelo , one of the greatest left backs ever did not play large format football until 15 years old. This is common in Brazil yet in Scotland this would be unheard of however Brazil continues to produce the best individual players in the world and one of the best, most consistent national teams. The same cannot be said about Scotland.

During Scotland's 3-0 defeat to Brazil I seen a clear difference in quality. Again I don't feel this is down to what happened on the day, this is down to how different the two sets of players were raised. Brazil looked extremely comfortable on the ball, combining effectively, confidence and flair in 1v1s, showed composure under pressure and the ability to play in tight spaces, effective movement and rotations to create space, making not only the right decisions but always seemed to be a step ahead, Brazil were ruthless in transitions, punishing mistakes, intelligent off the ball to know when to sit off, when to press, setting traps and blocking passing lines. This is all to the contrary of how Scotland looked.

The reason for Brazil's continued dominance compared to Scotland's consistent disappointment has one very clear link. FUTSAL.

Whilst I am not suggesting Scotland should scrap large format games for futsal until older age groups I am suggesting futsal should be more accessible for our players to benefit from the youngest age groups to the oldest age groups.

In Scotland we are seeing changes with more players doing "extra training" however I find we are failing into a different trap. Whilst all extra work is good. If we want to develop players that more intelligent players and players who are comfortable under pressure, we need to have training environment that look like that. Another more modern difference between Brazil and Scotland is the type of training players do. More and more of our players feel the need to attend more 121 sessions or private coaching sessions that often involve playing against static objects like cones , poles or mannequins, with predictable patterns, no pressure, no learning from losing the ball yet don't see results transferring into a game. We wonder why we look great in drills on social media yet struggle in a real game. It's not just matches we are getting wrong in Scotland, its how our players train. Futsal which players often train 2/3/4 times a week along side futsal matches and other SSG's emphasises making training realistic the game. Not predictable, repetitive patterns but ever changing scenarios for players to adapt to, not passing around poles and dribbling around cones but playing against real opposition where mistakes are punished, developing the true finer details in your technique as well as implementing decision making to your game. Similar to the matches, i'm not suggesting players should stop doing additional sessions or coaches should not do unopposed practices, they definitely have their place and time however this stuff without practices that actually replicate the game are useless.

It's no accident why players like Messi, Ronaldo (Brazilian) , C. Ronaldo, Zidane, Maradona, Pele, Xavi and so many more of the worlds best ever players grow up playing Futsal. The core skills aren't development from 7, 9, 11 aside games and intelligent players that are comfortable under pressure aren't developed from unopposed practices that most private coaches provide. I firmly believe that there is no better tool than futsal to support footballers.

Fraser Canning

Pro Academy Scout and Coach

Head of Coaching at Canning Futsal