Scotland: Three reasons for their surge under Strachan

Gordon Strachan has turned Scotland into a threat again

The difference between Scotland in Euro 2016 qualifying and in their two prior campaigns is drastic; let's identify why...

Scotland haven't played in a European Championship for approaching two decades, but with 24 teams playing in a finals for the first time in 2016, there is a real possibility that Gordon Strachan can secure their passage to France.

Home victories against Georgia and Republic of Ireland and a draw in Poland have left Scotland in joint-second in Group D despite a late defeat away to World Cup winners Germany. They still have whipping boys Gibraltar to play twice and can be backed at 2.68/5 to qualify for the tournament.

Next up though is England at Celtic Park with Scotland 3.953/1 to continue Strachan's revolution by securing victory. Here are three areas where Wee Gordon has taken Scotland from the doldrums to a period of greater expectation again...

A system that suits the players
England are fine examples in the past two decades of a nation that picked a formation, believed they knew their best players and then went about shoehorning them in. Debates about whether Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard could play together in midfield went on for a decade, while Paul Scholes was shunted out to left midfield. Few would argue that this trio could all be incorporated into a tournament-winning midfield. Things are still slightly the same now with various centre-backs tried at right-back until Nathaniel Clyne's recent emergence. Strachan has settled on his 4-2-3-1 system and picked the best players for each role.

Ikechi Anya
This approach to Scotland's formation has resulted in over a dozen new players being handed international call-ups. The most successful has surely been Watford's Anya, not just for his goal in Germany and assist in Poland, but for the general difference he has made in the final third. Attacking direction was lacking under Craig Levein, arguably so much so that this was the reason for the insipid 4-6-0 formation against the Czech Republic. Anya is not the natural goalscorer that the Scots still require, but his pace and movement do open spaces for others and generally provide opposing defences with a problem not posed by Scotland much in recent years.

Man-management-instilled determination
All of Scotland's qualifiers so far have been settled by a single goal, with a clear philosophy to work hard and not give an inch. All of a sudden everyone wants to play for Scotland and numerous players have even asked not to be rested against England, given their desire to pull on the blue jersey.