Last update on. From the section Scotland
"A few years back, it could have been four to five."
Steve Clarke, Scotland's head coach, says Denmark "blew him away" in their World Cup qualifying loss in Copenhagen.
Clarke's men lost twice in the first half of 93 seconds. They were fortunate to make it to the second half.
Although the Scots did improve after the interval, the damage was done in the first period.
Clarke stated that "conceding two goals in rapid succession made it a long evening for us," Sky Sports reported.
"We didn’t provide ourselves a platform, and it took us thirty minutes to get a feel for the game." The game was over by that point.
Clarke made a mistake in selection
Clarke moved captain Andy Robertson from the right position to replace Stephen O'Donnell of Motherwell and Nathan Patterson of Rangers, who were both right-back options in his squad.
The Scotland boss insists that the decision to move the Liverpool man from his usual berth wasn't the only reason his team failed to gain a foothold in half one.
Clarke stated, "It wasn’t the personnel. It was the form of the team." We allowed Denmark to hold us back. Our midfield could not get near the opposition's midfield. We were too defensive. We were not brave enough to defend the backline."
As Scotland's heatmap from the first half shows, their lack control and shape - along with Denmark's pressure – prevented them from posing any threat to the penalty area.
Robertson was able to move to his natural position after Scott McKenna, centre-back, was replaced by Lyndon Dykes, striker. Kieran Tierney was moved to the back three.
This helped Scotland improve in second half. Craig Levein, a former manager of the national team, believes this is the secret to their recent success.
Levein stated on BBC Sportsound that "anytime we've done well, that's what we've been doing." "We have been playing well, getting the ball out wide and throwing the balls in the box. We've also been competing. This is how we should play.
Two big games are now in store
Clarke acknowledged his team's "character" and their performance in the second period against Denmark, but admitted there were few positives.
Scotland is now fourth in Group F with a game against Moldova on Saturday.
Victory at Hampden will set the stage for a huge encounter away from Austria next Tuesday. Former Scotland striker Billy Dodds believes the second-half performance in Denmark gives him hope for the trip.
Dodds stated, "We had to be there in the second half to save our face." "We had two front-runners that were able to work their back three.
"We gained confidence, and we kept the ball. We expected to lose the game, but we lost it in the second half in a way that was acceptable. Austria is an important game now for us."
