Kenny McLean admits he could never put into words just how good Luka Modric is.
The Norwich City captain says he’d be doing the Real Madrid superstar an “injustice” if he even tried. Modric has pretty much written the book on the how to be the perfect midfielder over the past two decades. But as he prepares to go head to head with the 180-times capped Croatia skipper in Zagreb tomorrow night McLean insists it’s time for Scotland to prove they belong on the same page as the world’s best.
The success story that saw Steve Clarke’s men romp from the third tier of the Nations League to the very top in the past six years has tailed off over the past 12 months. Defeat in a Euro qualifier to Spain exactly a year ago tomorrow brought an end to a competitive streak that had seen Clarke’s troops rack up a perfect five wins from five.
Since then it’s been a tale of woe. Heavy defeats to France, the Netherlands, Germany in the Euro 2024 opener and then the sickening loss to Hungary when history was begging to be written has seen belief wane in the Tartan Army. But a month on from being beaten right at the death by a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Portugal, McLean is adamant Scotland deserve to be at the top table with Modric and co – even if he can’t articulate just how special the 39-year-old is.
He said: “I’d be doing him an injustice trying to explain how good he is to be honest! But this is where we’re at. We’re putting ourselves against the best. We’ve done so well to get here we don’t want to stop.
“We want to keep improving, keep putting ourselves against these nations and these players because that’s how we’ll keep getting better. We need to be excited about these challenges because it’s the pinnacle of the game.
“Obviously results haven’t been what we want them to be, but we need to keep trying to improve our performance because that’s our best chance of getting results. Finding that wee bit more quality at times in the game. We’ll learn more from some of these defeats than going and playing lesser nations that we’ve done in the past.”
If confidence has been shattered among the foot soldiers on the terraces, McLean is adamant it’s not been damaged among Clarke’s troops even with a casualty list including generals John McGinn and Kieran Tierney.
He said: “I don’t think you can come away without having belief in what you’re doing. You work your nuts off to be in this position, so I don’t think you can work that hard and then come away from here and not have belief.
“The manager has put his belief in you by choosing you to be here. When we come away we need to get together as a group and do a bit more because we really want to turn results around.
“We’ve got enough personality, enough quality, enough character here. It’s not going to be a case of missing a couple of players and thinking ‘I wish he was here’. It’s about helping the lads that are coming in and encouraging them to do what they’re doing back at their club and what got them here.”
It’s not just on the battlefield that Scotland are learning. McLean is among a group of Clarke’s squad who have started an SFA coaching course with an eye on the journey beyond his playing days. But having made a staggering 65 appearances for club and country last season the 32-year-old insists there’s plenty of miles left in the legs yet.
New Norwich boss Johannes Hoff Thorup has entrusted him with the Canaries’ armband while tweaking his game and he’s reaping the benefits. And the former Aberdeen and St Mirren ace, who is looking to win his 45th cap tomorrow, said: “The change from last season, getting the fans on side has been brilliant. They’re buying into what the manager is doing.
“When a new manager comes in, everybody is always going to have to adapt to an extent. I’m still playing a similar kind of position but there’s obviously different demands on that position that the manager wants. So it’s slightly different but nothing too alien to me.
“You learn more when you’re older because you take more in and you want to understand the game more. You realise why things are being done a certain way. I’m doing my coaching badges now so I’m taking information on, probably more than others.
“I’m not saying I’m getting any younger but I’m definitely improving in terms of that side of the game and understanding it.
“As soon as you’re in your 30s you’re ‘over the hill’ a wee bit in some places. But I was touching 60 games (for Norwich) last year so I’ve not quite slowed down yet! A lot of the lads in this squad are doing a course together. When you’re doing that it helps you understand the game better and improves you as a player.
“I want to keep improving, I want to come away here and keep improving, help everybody around me. That’s what I’ve always done and that’s what everybody will always continue to do here.”