Now that the dust has settled and the bruises have softened to yellow following Scotland’s recent brawny clash with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, we can pause to reflect on how this leaves Gordon Strachan’s men placed as far as potential qualification for next summer’s European Championships in France is concerned.
So Barcelona are European champions again. With Georgio Chiellini ruled out of the final, Patrice Evra had to justify the game’s other over-hyped sub-plot. And justify it he did - failing to react to Buffon’s parry and allowing Luis Suárez to nip in and crash the rebound home. But there was another barely-mentioned subtext to this game that deserves some thought.
Xavi Hernández is, of course, one of the most insanely gifted footballers of his generation. As he prepares for a career swansong in the middle east, we’re reminded daily of his supreme ability. Almost as often, in fact, as we were once reminded of his height - a simple manifestation of genes that remained a novelty (at least to the British press) throughout his career.
For all that the stakes were undeniably high, the scenes immediately following a tense Premiership play-off between Motherwell and Rangers were disgraceful and damaging to the reputation of the beautiful game in Scotland.
How important is squad depth and rotation in the Premier League? There are two schools of thought: one says a great first XI alone can’t sustain a 38-game challenge, the other says too much tinkering disrupts the confidence needed for a title push. Do this season’s numbers support either theory?