Gordon Strachan considers he is spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a squad for international games. He says the calibre of player at Scotland's disposal makes it increasingly difficult to keep his numbers down ahead of an international break. The Scotland manager named a 26-man squad for the friendly against Northern Ireland on Wednesday and Sunday's European Qualifier against Gibraltar, both at Hampden Park. However, Strachan claimed he could have selected 40 players for the double-header such as the talent available to him at the moment.
He said: "There's probably 12, 13 or 14 boys who might feel a bit aggrieved that they are not in the squad. But it's not really me that picks the squad. The players pick themselves - if they've been good enough, done everything right and what we've asked of them, then they get picked."
Scotland sit third in Group D, level on points with Germany and the Republic of Ireland and three points behind group leaders Poland. After a draw in Poland and a win over Martin O'Neill's Republic of Ireland side in their last two European Qualifiers, Strachan insists the current tactics are suiting his players - and that is the most important factor in squad selection. He went on: "Those 14 players left out might think with a different manager, they might be in, or with a different style, they might be in. But I've just got to pick the style that suits this group of players. It doesn't mean that if a player is out of the side, that they're playing badly. It might be for tactical reasons, or there is somebody in their position who is playing fantastically well."