Following Scotland’s thrilling Nations League victory in Poland last night, Steve Craige heaped more praise on Ben Doak, but he also acknowledged that the Middlesbrough winger was exhausted following a demanding international break.
Scotland defeated Poland 2-1 in Warsaw to guarantee a spot in the tier one relegation play-offs, and Doak began his second game in as many days. After breaking past Polish center-half Jakub Kiwior and producing a low cross that Lukasz Skorupski could only parry into the path of John McGinn, who drove home, the Boro loanee set up his team’s first goal in the third minute.
By the time he was replaced in the 66th minute, Doak had already started to wear down the right-hand side, despite his continued menace throughout the first half.
The 19-year-old’s contribution in the previous two games has delighted Clarke, who anticipates that he will play a significant role in the future growth of the Scottish team. The Scotland manager acknowledged that Doak was quite tired by the time he left the pitch in Warsaw, despite having suggested that he might rest the teenager before last night’s match.
When Middlesbrough returns to domestic play on Saturday afternoon against Oxford United, that will be a worry. “It was another Ben assist, which is good,” Clarke remarked. However, I believe he became fatigued quite quickly in the second half, and I might have been better off taking him off a little sooner. “He poses a risk. Being a full-back myself, I can attest that if you have a winger like him who gets at you, it makes things harder for the defenders and gives us something a little different. He is also very direct and gets at defenders.
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