Gilmour ready to replicate Scotland showings under Smith at Norwich
Hampden Park was rocking on Monday night. Both Scotland and Denmark had wrapped up the top two spots in Group F, but it was the Tartan Army that needed the three points in their final qualifying game. Denmark's spot at Qatar 2022 was already secured, yet a win for Scotland would see them seeded for the playoffs.
Kasper Hjulmand fielded a weakened side, yet a back three of Jannik Vestergaard, Simon Kjaer and Andreas Christensen in front of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was going to be as tough as they come to break down. Factor in that Denmark had conceded just one goal from their nine games prior to Monday's match in Scotland, and the task for Steve Clarke's side was that bit harder.
And yet Scotland were not overawed by the occasion. Goals from John Souttar and Che Adams either side of half time secured a vital three points as they became just the second side, along with Belgium, to beat Denmark by two or more goals in a competitive game since 2013.
Souttar and Adams may have been the goalscorers at Hampden Park, yet it was Billy Gilmour who again drew the plaudits. The 20-year-old has endured an indifferent campaign following his loan move to Norwich in the summer having started just five competitive games for the Canaries, the most recent of which was a Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool in late-September. Gilmour's played four games for Scotland across two international breaks since that game at Carrow Road. "Must be some team that Norwich," Ally McCoist said, tongue in cheek, during Monday's victory.
Since the season started, Gilmour has now registered more minutes for Scotland (589) than he has Norwich (458), with his stint at Carrow Road deemed a disaster, at least up until now. Despite victory over Brentford prior to the international break, Norwich's first in the Premier League this season, the club elected to relieve Daniel Farke of his duties earlier this month with Dean Smith since being named his replacement.
Smith was out of work for a whopping eight days on the back of his Aston Villa exit and he has a huge task on his hands if he is to guide Norwich away from danger. With 11 games played, they may sit just five points off safety, yet the Canaries have again looked out of their depth in England's top tier and many are backing the club to drop straight back down to the Championship.
Yet with Smith at the Carrow Road helm, some believe Norwich now stand a much better chance of survival and the former Villa man's appointment must have come as a relief to Gilmour, who will now fancy his chances of reclaiming a spot in the XI. Joining from Chelsea on loan as a replacement for Oliver Skipp, the youngster returning to Tottenham following the culmination of his spell with 2020/21 champions, Gilmour seemed the perfect fit for a Norwich side that dominated possession on their way to Championship glory last season.
A willingness to get on the ball to help set the tempo would have been ideal for Norwich as they sought to alleviate pressure on the goal to further prove they were able to mix it with the big boys on the back of another promotion. 55.4 passes per 90 is the most of all Norwich players, while only Lukas Rupp (87.5%) has a better pass success rate than the Scot (86.5%) for Smith's team in the Premier League this season. For Scotland in World Cup qualifying, Gilmour is first for passes per 90 (65.1), though a pass success rate of 81.5% is a drop from his league return, but it's proof of the responsibility he is handed for his country, something his club will want to see more of.
Farke, though, favoured the use of Pierre Lees-Melou, Mathias Normann and Kenny McLean in the middle of the park, which meant Gilmour, after starting four of the opening five league games of the season, hasn't played a single minute of the subsequent six. What was all the more bewildering was that Farke lavished praise upon Gilmour in mid-October, stating: "If you love football, you love Billy Gilmour because this guy is a baller."
The lack of game time under Farke, though, suggested otherwise, and the reported interest in Frank Lampard perhaps served as a means to help maximise Gilmour's loan spell. With Smith at the Carrow Road helm, there is still a possibility for the on-loan central midfielder to rescue his Norwich career. The 50-year-old had tried a three-man defence with Villa prior to his dismissal to limited success, perhaps because he didn't have the midfielder in the mould of Gilmour to make the system work.
Part of the reason for Scotland's impressive showings with a three-man backline is due to Gilmour and the need to get the youngster in possession to pull the strings for the Tartan Army, which clearly has the desired effect. Farke also experimented with a similar system, yet elected to overlook Gilmour in the midfield. Things may have been different for the German and Norwich had he come to the realisation that the Scotland international is perhaps the best fit for the role, a mistake Smith is unlikely to make.
On Gilmour and his lack of minutes with Norwich, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel this week said: "We’ll take the decision in January, when the decision has to be made, not now," which means Smith has until the New Year to discover a system that benefits Gilmour and Norwich to help stave off relegation. However, if his Scotland performances are anything to go by, then the young midfielder could now play a key role in the middle of the park as the Canaries seek to take flight.
