Assistant coach John Carver has branded Scotland’s squad the “most targeted group” he has ever labored with and harassed there have been no ideas of Euro 2024 qualification forward of Friday’s sport in Cyprus.
A fifth win from 5 qualifiers in Larnaca might see Scotland qualify on Tuesday evening, once they host England in a pleasant, if different outcomes go a specific manner.
However Carver is aware of the one final result they will impact is on Friday evening on the AEK Area and nothing else is value enthusiastic about.
The previous Newcastle interim supervisor is certain Steve Clarke’s gamers will solely have eyes for Cyprus and never subsequent summer season in Germany.
“We now have not even mentioned England or something outdoors the sport on Friday evening towards Cyprus,” he mentioned.
“We now have to place all our vitality into the sport. We now have to remain humble and present humility.
“Going into this sport is all about laborious work, preparation, gamers being targeted and ensuring all our efforts are going into this sport.
“The gamers are very level-headed in order that they don’t take heed to the surface noise, and that’s necessary. And we encourage that.
“As a bunch of workers and gamers we have now had some huge video games lately and so they at all times say the following sport is the largest, and it’s. However it’s not about ‘can we qualify on Friday evening?’
“We haven’t performed something but, it’s solely the midway stage, there are nonetheless 4 video games to go and you know the way rapidly it may flip in soccer.
“We don’t get forward of ourselves, all we’re enthusiastic about is Cyprus. Wanting on the guys once they got here via the door and in coaching, they’re actually targeted.
“When you’ve got an excellent group of fellows and revel in being collectively, they police themselves and we simply be certain that we put the proper issues on and do the proper issues in preparation.
“After all it’s actually thrilling however you may’t get forward of yourselves, you need to be sure to are in the proper state of mind going into the sport.
“If we do what we do nicely, if our organisation is nice, if we work laborious, if we do all of the soiled issues nicely, then it provides us an excellent alternative.”
Carver, who has coached on the likes of Leeds, Sheffield United and West Brom in addition to his hometown staff Newcastle, added: “You understand what? In all my years of working with soccer groups, that is essentially the most targeted group of individuals I’ve labored with.
“That’s an honour for these guys as a result of I’ve labored with some good groups and good gamers, however these guys are proper on it.”
Carver has additionally managed overseas, at Toronto and Omonia Nicosia, which supplies him helpful perception into what Scotland will face on Friday evening.
Regardless of a 9.45pm native kick-off time, the temperature is forecast to be 28C throughout the sport.
Cyprus have but to take some extent within the group and misplaced 3-0 at Hampden, however Carver harassed they’d some notable latest outcomes, together with a 2-2 attract Armenia in March.
After a coaching session at Lesser Hampden, Carver mentioned: “We now have mentioned on quite a few events how powerful the sport goes to be. On the earlier three events towards Scotland there’s been one purpose in it.
“However they’ve additionally had some first rate outcomes and performances, their efficiency towards Armenia, profitable in Israel, which is extraordinarily powerful, as a result of we discovered it powerful on the market, and dropping within the final minute towards Georgia.
“I do know Cypriot soccer fairly nicely and the usual’s bought a lot better in latest instances.
“Usually the group are fairly intimidating however it’s extra households and youngsters who go and watch the nationwide staff. So crucial factor would be the warmth. It will likely be scorching, the pitch will most likely be dry, so it’s one thing we must cope with.
“However we’re in nice situations right here in the intervening time and we’re acclimatising to it.”