Steve Clarke talks Scotland’s Euro 2024 plans, Germany opener, targets and more

Steve Clarke went into 2023 with the aim of guiding Scotland to the European Championships in Germany. He did that, and in some style.

So what is on the 2024 target list? Well, he wants to be “competitive in every game” at the Euros as Scotland bid to progress past the group stages of a major tournament for the first time.

Hosts Germany await in the opener of Euro 2024, before games against Hungary and Switzerland, and Clarke will be leaving no stone unturned to make it a successful campaign.

“I think it’s a good open draw,” he exclusively told Sky Sports.

“The games are certainly good games to look forward to and the pleasing thing for me as a football coach is that is it’s three teams that we haven’t come up against – so it gives me a lot of work to do over the winter months.

“The hibernation of the international manager is normally December, January, and February – so I can hibernate in a room, get the big screen on and watch a lot of football!

“I’ll learn a little bit more about all three teams and make sure when we get to the tournament next summer we are well prepared as we can be.”

Clarke has led Scotland to consecutive European Championships but will be hoping results this time around are better.

Defeats to the Czech Republic and Croatia, plus a draw against England at Euro 2020, saw his side finish bottom of their group as the wait for progression to the knockouts went on.

However, after dramatic victories over Spain and Norway in this qualifying campaign, the Tartan Army are hoping for more – and Clarke is aware of that expectation.

He said: “I think it’s great they’re onside, it’s great they expect their team to be competitive. It’s all part of the process.

“The more you do, the more people want. The more successful you are, the more success people want – so you have to embrace that and get on with it.

“Every game will be competitive. If you speak to the Tartan Army, all they want is for their team to be competitive every time they go onto the pitch. I think we’ve got that now, I think we’ve got a competitive team.

“Hopefully we’ll play as well as we can play and at the end of the three group games we’ll tally up the points and see where that takes us.

“Being Scottish we like a challenge – this year is going to be a challenge. Last year was a great year – it’s time to close the door on 2023 and look forward to hopefully a very exciting and successful 2024.”

Scotland will take on the Netherlands and Northern Ireland in warm-up matches in March, before Clarke names his squad for the Euros.

However, Clarke’s preparations will not be solely centred on tactics and formations – with the opening ceremony also coming into the equation.

In the hours running up to that first match against Germany, other activities will take centre stage at the Allianz Arena in Munich, and Clarke is already planning to ensure it doesn’t hamper preparations.

He said: “I’m pretty sure it will be a bit of a circus. It’s something that you have to be careful of. For us it’s not about the opening ceremony, it’s not about the hoo-ha that will be there – it’s about the match.

“The most important thing will be is that we know in advance what the schedule will be at the stadium on the pitch, when we can warm up, when we have to be off the pitch.

“Maybe we can introduce that into a training day so that the players understand this is what you have, this is the amount of time you have in between coming off the pitch and going back on the pitch. It will be different to a normal game, we just have to make sure that there’s nothing that happens that surprises the players.

“We have to separate ourselves from the build-up and just concentrate on being ready for the first game against the host nation Germany. Although they may not be having the best time just now, I’m sure come the tournament will be ready because they always are.”