Aston Villa captain John McGinn can’t stop scoring for Scotland.
On the domestic stage, Unai Emery dropped McGinn from Aston Villa’s starting XI and that theme continued when he went on Scotland duty this past week.
Steve Clarke left out the 30-year-old for Friday’s UEFA Nations League showdown against Croatia, but McGinn came off the bench and scored the winner.
And to nobody’s surprise, he is at it again, with yet another goal for the all-action midfielder.
This time, McGinn did start against Poland, he opened the scoring with a brilliant right-footed finish on the edge of the box, before the opposition equalised at the start of the second half.
That’s when Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson stepped up and netted a bullet header in stoppage time to keep alive Scotland’s hopes of maintaining their top-tier status in the UEFA Nations League.
As expected, Aston Villa’s man of the moment was lauded by the Scottish press for his performance.
Scottish media praise John McGinn after he helps Scotland beat Poland
Villa fans hope McGinn brings his form with him because it has been hugely missed on the domestic stage.
But, as he battles to get back to his consistent best, he is being efficient and turning up in the big moments.
Edinburgh News rated McGinn’s performance in Poland 7/10 and labelled the midfielder as ‘the battler’, whilst The Herald rated his performance at 9/10.
They highlighted how the Villa skipper has been off-colour for his country this year, but he was ‘back to his best’ and his ‘array of passing was a joy to watch’.
“Another goal for the battler who was back to top form in the navy,” wrote Edinburgh News. “Ran himself ragged and didn’t give Poland a moment of peace.”
“He may not have been on colour for Scotland this year, but the talisman lived up to his long-standing tag by making it two goals in two games this international break,” wrote The Herald. “The Aston Villa captain gave the keeper no chance as he beautifully guided the ball into the far bottom corner on his weaker right foot. His array of passing was a joy to watch. Back to his best.”
McGinn’s stats for Scotland against Poland
Aston Villa have lost four games in a row and the mood around the place is pretty low. That’s where you need your big players to step up.
The hope is that these McGinn performances will play a part in him lifting his teammates because it’s going to be needed ahead of a gruelling winter period.
WhoScored rated his performance for Scotland against Poland at 7.63, with the player producing an all-round showing.
| Shots | Key Passes | Passes | PA% | AccLB | Through Balls | Aerials Won | Clear | Touches | Rating |
| 1 | 3 | 39 | 84.6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 59 | 7.63 |
Yes, McGinn was dropped for Villa’s defeat to Liverpool last time out, but you expect him to return to the XI for Crystal Palace.
One of the reasons is that Amadou Onana is injured and there are question marks over other midfield players, such as Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara, so it opens the door for McGinn to return.
