HAS any player ever had as much responsibility placed on his shoulders on his debut for Scotland as Stuart Armstrong will have on his this weekend if, as is almost universally expected, he is chosen to play against Slovenia?
The Celtic midfielder will, due to the lack of game time the five strikers in Gordon Strachan’s squad have had in recent weeks, be asked to set up or supply the goals which keep his country’s slight hopes of reaching the Russia 2018 finals alive. No pressure then!
It would be a tall order if he was an experienced internationalist with a plethora of qualifiers under his belt. So it will be, despite the fact he has netted 12 times in all competitions for Celtic this season and been on target in three of his last four games, asking a huge amount of him given he has never featured in the past.
But if Armstrong is feeling apprehensive at the prospect he isn’t showing it. If he has felt intimidated at joining up with the national squad he has masked it well. The 24-year-old is, as ever coolness personified. It augurs well for the vital Group F match at Hampden on Sunday evening.
“There is always pressure in big games, whether that be club football or international football,” he said. “There is always pressure. It is something that I have become accustomed to over the years.
“Before, when I was slightly more inexperienced and hadn’t had that exposure to high pressure games, I would maybe overthink things and dwell on certain aspects of games. But now I appreciate that games can’t be perfect all of the time.
“You need to learn from the games and take what you can out of them. I think mentally you need to be strong and not let things affect you, just focus on the positive.
“I like big games. I like big atmospheres and big crowds and big expectations. I love the big games. It is always exciting. But I would like to think that each game I go into I have the same level of motivation and determination to win.
“I don’t expect anything. That’s been my philosophy this season, just to focus on each game in hand and not overthink things. Just take each day as it comes, whether that be training or games. It’s put me in a good position so far.”
Armstrong has positive memories of Hampden both as a player and a supporter and will feed off them if he is involved against Slovenia. He felt that coming on at the stadium and performing well in the Betfred Cup semi-final against Rangers in October kick-started his transformation from peripheral figure to first team regular at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers.
“I like Hampden,” he said. “I had a good impact in that semi-final and played well. Since then, I’ve had a good run in the side. That’s probably been a pivotal moment so far for me. The last time I played there, we beat Aberdeen in the cup, which was a great day. I’ve got good memories of Hampden. It’s a good venue.”
He also has good memories of attending the famous Mount Florida venue as a fan. “I used to go to Scotland games now and again,” he said. “I had a few friends that went to the games and I went a few times with them. The one game that stands out is probably the France game when he won 1-0 when Gary Caldwell scored from a corner.
“My friend’s dad took us down. I can’t remember how old I was then. Quite young. It was a nice one to go to. I had been before with my dad, who took me and my brother, but that one stands out.”
If Stuart Armstrong plays for Scotland against Slovenia on Sunday he will not forget it whether, as his manager hopes he will, he scores or not.
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