Levein focusing on defence

Levein: Focusing on defence

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Scotland's new manager Craig Levein insists keeping things tight at the back is the way forward for the nation.

Levein's tenure began in the best possible fashion following a 1-0 success over Czech Republic in midweek at Hampden Park.

The former Dundee United boss likes the attacking options at his disposal and feels the focus of emphasis must be at the back.

Scotland tackle Sweden in a friendly before next season's SPL and Levein is hoping for another clean sheet before their 2012 European Championship qualifying campaign gets underway.

Defence

"We have got enough flair to cause people problems, but at this minute the emphasis has to be on the other end of it," explained Levein.

"You can't say we have these great players then throw them all in and hope for the best.

"There has to be a way of thinking, way of playing and the hope that, once we get confidence, these sort of players will be the ones that make the difference for us in games.

"But the confidence comes from winning games. We need to be hard to beat, dogged, determined. If that way can get us results, it gives us something to cling to; a common purpose.

"We can't have a system where it's, 'Right, we just need to get the ball to him and he'll beat four players and score'. Brazil maybe can do that, but we don't have enough flair for that to be our philosophy."

Lone striker

Levein fielded Kenny Miller as a lone frontman at Hampden on Wednesday night.

He added: "Everybody's got this thing about two up front.

"But look at the majority of international teams, Champions League sides, very few do. It is 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1. Man United play (Wayne) Rooney on his own. Even if (Dimitar) Berbatov plays, he drops off to pick up the ball. Even Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd this season, Boyd has dropped into far deeper positions than the past.

"The traditionalists think 4-4-2 is an attacking formation but the way the game has developed, even in that, as soon as a team loses the ball, the strikers turn and a player drops back in to the deepest positions.

"Those who do think they are 4-4-2 are 4-6 when they lose the ball. I feel, certainly to begin with, until we get a foothold, we must be hard to beat and that involves these other formations."