Scottish media react to ‘accomplished’ John McGinn vs Belarus as brilliant stat emerges
Aston Villa currently have plenty of players in action for their respective countries.
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins starred for England, whilst Evann Guessand scored for the Ivory Coast.
However, all the eyes were on captain John McGinn, who had two must-win matches against Greece and Belarus over the break for Scotland.
After the Scots picked up victories in both at Hampden Park, the Scottish media has given its thoughts on McGinn’s performance against Belarus on 12 October.
John McGinn praised for effective performance vs Belarus
McGinn has been brilliant for Aston Villa this season and remained confident throughout Scotland’s 2-1 win versus Belarus.
The result leaves Scotland with a fantastic chance to qualify for their first World Cup since 1998, at least confirming a play-off spot for the tournament.
Despite not being an active goal threat during the match, McGinn’s pass accuracy of 92 per cent was truly outstanding in a scrappy affair.
| Touches | 42 |
| Pass accuracy (percentage) | 92 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Ground duels won (percentage) | 60 |
The Scotsman said: “One of Scotland’s more accomplished midfielders, he was asked once again to play out wide.
“A lot of what he tried never came off, but he never stopped working. Had a right-footed strike well saved by Belarus keeper Lapoukhov. Moves on to 81 caps for his country. 6/10.”
The Herald added: “Fan-favourite started in a wide-left midfield role and made a few characteristic bursts into the attacking third. 6/10.”
McGinn has once again been pushed to play out wide for his country to accommodate their central midfielders, yet, as seen at Villa, he’s much more effective when playing in the middle.
John McGinn must play centrally for Scotland
McGinn was linked with Everton in the summer, yet that move never managed to materialise for the 30-year-old, leaving Emery thrilled that he could keep his star man in midfield.
Having almost exclusively played in the centre of the park, McGinn can look uncomfortable when he is sometimes out wide.
Against Belarus, McGinn only registered one successful cross out of six, showcasing how that position clearly isn’t his strong suit, yet he still does a job when asked.
In the Premier League this season, McGinn has:
- 38.1 per cent cross accuracy
- 83.5 per cent pass accuracy
- Seven chances created
Despite how strong Scott McTominay and Lewis Ferguson are as a midfield pair, McGinn’s hunger in the middle of the park is unmatched in comparison to the whole Scotland squad.
We’ve seen it for years at Villa, and it’s clear that McGinn is being wasted out wide, despite his solid performance against Belarus.
McGinn deserves more praise, but he’ll be given the world if Scotland can return to the World Cup.
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