ALTHOUGH spring has barely sprung, Scotland will play their sixth game of 2017 when they meet Wales in their final Cyprus Cup game in Paralimni this afternoon.
The team has been given unprecedented backing by the SFA after becoming the first senior national side since 1998 to qualify for a major championship.
So far performances and results have been good, with two wins, two draws and just one defeat. Denmark (twice), New Zealand and South Korea are all higher-ranked sides, while Austria, who have also qualified for Euro 2017, were beaten 3-1 in Nicosia on Monday.
The most encouraging aspect of that win was that it was achieved with several young players on the pitch during a second half which yielded all four goals. That was a similar situation to the team’s previous best 45 minutes, when inexperienced players sparked a second-half comeback in the first friendly against Denmark in January.
The latest to make a big impression was Hibernian’s Lizzie Arnot, who turned 21 last week and played her first 90 minutes against Austria. She and Bayern Munich’s Lisa Evans were the wide midfielders – until Evans was pushed forward near the end – and their energy impressed Anna Signeul.
“Lizzie Arnot did very well against Austria, defensively as well as in attack,” the coach pointed out. “And Lisa as well. It was very positive to see how well they both understood their roles in defence as well as in attack.
“If you’re playing a 4-4-2 and want to be tight defensively you’re depending on two good wide midfielders who can tuck in and defend – but also go up and press and win the ball. Both played on their strengths with the ball in front of them, and really played with speed and challenged and took on the full backs. You need a lot of energy to do that, and both of them were running enormously against Austria.”
The pair combined for Scotland’s third, and best, goal with Arnot winning the ball deep in the Scotland half and surging forward before releasing Evans for an outstanding long-range strike.
Kim Little and central defender Jen Beattie had to sit out the Austria game with niggles and that is likely to be the case today also. Glasgow City midfielder Jo Love is another expected absentee.
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