NOT having a top class striker who is capable of scoring goals on a regular basis at international level was a serious problem for Scotland for a number of years.
The lack of quality firepower in the final third has unquestionably proved detrimental to the national team’s World Cup qualifying campaigns this century.
All of a sudden, though, manager Steve Clarke has a myriad of interesting options available to him in attack.
Che Adams, Keiron Bowie, Tommy Conway, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst, Kevin Nisbet, Lawrence Shankland and James Wilson have all featured up front for their country of late and will all be hopeful of being involved in the Group C matches against Greece and Belarus at Hampden next month.
But could another player be given the nod ahead of them? Might an individual who was last capped five long years ago be brought in from the cold for the crucial double header? Could a man who has been completely forgotten about by many members of the Tartan Army be drafted back into the squad? Watch this space.
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Clarke may decide that Oliver Burke, who became the first Scottish footballer to claim a hat-trick in the Bundesliga on Sunday when he netted three times for Union Berlin in the space of just 24 minutes in a 4-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt away in the Waldstadion, can help his side book a place in Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer.
Derek Rae, the Scot who is a commentator for ESPN as well as the Bundesliga world feed and who is a renowned expert on German football, has watched his compatriot, who has had spells at RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen in the past, develop and mature as a footballer during the past few years.
The Aberdonian was not at all surprised, then, when he saw his compatriot achieve a feat which proved beyond the likes of Mark McGhee, Murdo MacLeod, Alan McInally, Paul Lambert and Scott Booth in the past this weekend. He is convinced that Burke can bolster Scotland’s bid to reach their first World Cup since France ’98.
“There's always been something there with Oli,” said Rae of the forward who has been sold for Scottish record transfer fees of €15m twice during a nomadic career which has seen him play for 11 clubs, including Celtic, in as many years. “We have always known that he has massive potential.
“When Ralph Hasenhuttl was his manager at Leipzig he said, ‘He's got the hardware, we just need to work on the software’. Well, the signs are that that software is a lot more advanced than it was.
“I've commentated on a lot of his games lately and have seen a huge difference in him to before. I remember first noticing it when he was playing for Bremen last season. He scored a couple of goals and then they began to give him a few starts. You could tell there was something a little bit different about him, that his touch was better, that he was reading the game better.”
He continued, “Playing striker for Union is quite difficult. Their manager Steffen Baumgart would insist that he is an expansive coach, but he isn’t really. He wants his players to win their duels, to win their battles, first and foremost. His team only has limited periods of possession in matches. When they have the ball they have moments of explosive attacking play.
“So their players are not necessarily on the front foot all of the time there. They have to wait for the moment. But the counter-attacking aspect of his side’s play does suit Burke. For me, that’s where he excels. Frankfurt can be quite open at times and Union clearly exploited that. But it was interesting to see a Scot make such an impact.”
Rae continued, “He is playing in a top five European league and became the first Union player to score a hat-trick away in the Bundesliga. What is more, he did it against Eintracht in Frankfurt, against one of the best teams in Germany at one of the most hostile venues.
“He scored three pretty good goals as well, especially the last one. He showed a pretty high level of composure to get his hat-trick. His finishing was of the highest standard.
“If a Scottish striker had scored a hat-trick against, say, Chelsea in the Premier League in England this weekend people would be saying, ‘Steve Clarke has to pick that guy for Scotland!’ The Bundesliga is a higher level than the English Championship and the Scottish Premiership.”
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The 28-year-old won 13 caps for Scotland after being signed by Leipzig in 2016 and he came off the bench to score an 89th minute winner in Clarke’s first game as manager way back in 2019. But he last donned a dark blue jersey in a Nations League defeat to Israel in Netanya in 2020.
The former Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool assistant has been asked about recalling Burke intermittently since that outing and has always stressed that he is well aware of the Kirkcaldy-born footballer’s many strengths and has fond memories of working with him.
Rae, who is also the voice of the popular EA FC 26 video game, believes the one-time Nottingham Forest kid is a far more potent weapon now than he was five years ago and is confident he can increase his country’s chances of making it through to the World Cup next year.
“I’m puzzled why he hasn’t caught Steve Clarke’s attention,” he said. “Lyndon Dykes has been starting for Scotland again. He is a different type of player to Oliver. But he isn’t somebody who has played at a particularly high level or is in fabulous form just now is he?
“Burke is definitely more dangerous when he's got space to run into. He would maybe struggle against a packed defence. But he offers Scotland something that we don’t have. I’m not just saying this because he scored a hat-trick on Sunday, I’ve been saying it for a while now.
“If the national team are in a position where they are chasing the game at some point in their forthcoming qualifiers they can’t just play with a big, tall striker up front. They will need to change it. You would think they would want a player who can come off the bench and make an impact like Burke.
“The game against Denmark in Copenhagen this month would have been perfect for him. Scotland defended for long spells that night and got forward on the counter. The next Scotland squad is being announced soon. I would hope somebody from the coaching team is on a plane to Berlin this week to watch their home game.”
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Rae continued, “Oli has spoken openly about his difficulties. He has talked about how he has just tried to apply himself and make himself better. Well, he has certainly done that now.
“I think part of the problem with him is that fans still judge the player they remember from his time with Celtic or his time with Scotland before and pretty much dismiss him. It’s a little bit of a Scottish trait that, to say that he’s no good. But I’ve always thought that selection for the national team should be based on current form.
“Burke has moved to Union to further himself. It’s quite a bold move because Bremen invested quite a lot of money in him over the years. His decision to leave on a Bosman wasn’t met with smiles. He hasn’t started every game for Union, but in Germany you aren’t going to be involved all of the time.
“Union are trying to get back to what they were. They got into the Champions League a couple of seasons ago, which they shouldn't really have done, and started buying players who weren't really their style of players. They've always been a sort of belt and braces back five team who played on the counter-attack. But Oli looks like he could be perfect for them. He could do a good job for Scotland as well.”
