Tynecastle is the place to be today as Scotland's women take on their counterparts from Israel. The game is one of two important Euro 2013 UEFA European Championship Qualifier games this month to be played before a break until September when the final qualifying games against Wales and France will be played. The second game this month will take place over the water in Cork against the republic of Ireland on Thursday. It is important that Scotland pick up maximum points from all the games to stand a chance of qualifying as the best runner-up with France already having won the group. The lessons learnt from the game against Sweden will have reinforced during the recent get together ahead of the game. National coach Anna Signeul could see many positives from playing the team who are one of the favourites to win the gold medal at the London Olympics. The prospects of meeting Israel and the Republic of Ireland are is not as big a challenge as facing the Scandinavians but Scotland cannot afford to be complacent. I asked the national coach what could be taken forward from the game at Stark's Park, which Scotland lose 1-4, into the qualifying games.
National coach, Anna Signeul (c) Ger Harley | SportPixSigneul said: "We take the good things from the (Sweden) game and say if you do this a little bit more often, and if we don't play with too much respect for them. Too much respect means that instead of being attacking-minded and going forward, even if you are a defender and intercepting, tackling, showing that you want to win, standing a little bit higher so that little bit self-confidence that you get taking just that half-step back is a huge difference. As I said at half-time (at Stark's Park against Sweden), all you need to give us is five metres; step up five metres; stop having so much respect for them; go in and tackle. The problem is if we are too long a team (from defence to attack) we cannot cover that whole space. We cannot cover in defence or in attack. We need to keep our team together; we want to have good forwards who want to go forward; we also want to press quite high to win the ball back. We can't have a back line that sits deep, even if we are scared of players like Lotte Schelin coming in behind. We need to keep it tight and when it is dangerous (for us) and when it is on (for the opposition) that is when drop back. But to sit deep all the time just because you are scared it's not our way. So we can learn that and bring it to a game like this (against Israel). We have to take a lot of positive things from that game and this is the small things we need to change. I do think that in terms of the France game and the Swedish game, we did struggle a little bit with our physique. And even if France are a little physically stronger than they have ever been as a team and individually, they are not as physically as strong as Sweden. Technically better; tactically perhaps on the same level; but physically Sweden are much bigger. I think that was a huge difference to the outcome of the game."
SCOTLAND v ISRAELUEFA European Championship Qualifier | Women's A Squad3:00 PM | 16 June 2012Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh Team P W D L F A +/- Pts 1 France 6 6 0 0 23 2 21 18 2 Scotland 4 2 1 1 10 6 4 7 3 Repuplic of Ireland 4 2 0 2 6 5 1 6 4 Wales 4 1 1 3 5 12 -7 4 5 Israel 5 0 0 5 1 20 -19 0Source: FOOTYMAD
