Sir Kenny Dalglish: I would urge caution over Qatar draw, it was favourable but there will be no cartwheels

The reaction to Scotland’s 2022 World Cup Qualification draw has been positive and that is understandable.

To be put in the same section as Denmark, Austria, Israel, Moldova and Faroe Islands is, on paper, quite favourable and we can’t really complain.

However, I would urge some caution. I, for one, am not doing any cartwheels. Not yet, anyway.

The road to Qatar kicks off on March 25 next year with a home tie against Austria. There are three games to play in less than a week. We also go away to Israel and home to the Faroes.

We would be looking to get full points from the triple-header. I would say that seven points wouldn’t be too bad but there needs to be an aim to win all three ties.

On paper, the most difficult tie in March will be against the Austrians. They are not to be underestimated.

Around half of their squad play in the German Bundesliga – from captain Julian Baumgartlinger at Bayer Leverkusen to Marcel Sabitzer at RB Leipzig.

They also have Marko Arnautovic from Shanghai. We all know how talented he is from his days at Stoke City and West Ham United. In the past few months they have defeated Norway, Greece, Northern Ireland and Romania in their Nations League section.

They qualified from that to book their place at next summer’s Euro Finals where they are grouped with North Macedonia, Holland and Ukraine.

So, that gives a bit of an insight into their level and the quality they possess.

Denmark are the top seeds in the section for 2022 and we could all see the problems they caused England in recent months with their 1-0 win at Wembley.

Their squad is spread all over the top leagues in Europe, at clubs such as Barcelona, AC Milan, Chelsea, Spurs, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.

It’s going to be a huge ask to keep players of the calibre of Simon Kjaer, Christian Eriksen, Andreas Christensen, Martin Braithwaite and Yussuf Poulsen quiet over the two games.

They are also at the Euro Finals and they’ll play all their section games in Copenhagen against Finland, Belgium and Russia.

But, remember, we are also on the way up. We have qualified for the Euro Finals and the games in March will be the last chance for the players to impress Steve Clarke.

Between that, and a place at a World Cup Finals at stake, every member of the squad will be looking to leave their mark.

They’ll want to leave the training camp at the end of March feeling they have left Steve with no choice but to include them in his squad.

The likes of Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, John McGinn, Scott McTominay and David Marshall are all certs. There are probably 10 or 11 more we’d fully expect to be included.

So, there might be three or four places up for grabs.

The situation surrounding Billy Gilmour will be an interesting one.

There is no doubt the young Chelsea midfielder is a player. He really does look the part and is a tidy footballer.

It’s great to see him on the comeback trail after his recent injury problems.

Frank Lampard rates him highly and I remember him being Man of the Match against Liverpool in a game last season.

He has yet to make his international debut for the full team but Steve has admitted the player is very much in his thoughts.

If he can get more games for Chelsea and continue his quick progress, then he may well be one that forces his way into Steve’s plans.

That said, we do have some very good options in the middle of the park and the current guys from the last few months will take a bit of shifting.

That’s why I don’t expect wholesale changes.

I will look on with interest to see how it all unfolds and, as ever, I will trust Steve’s judgment.

One thing we all know is that we will be well prepared and organised. Steve knows his stuff.

Exciting times are ahead and every player will be desperate to be named in the squad for the Euros.

But March is the priority just now. We need some results and performances to take into the summer.

That will put us on the way to making it a second qualification for a major tournament in a row.

As I said, the draw for 2022 is one we can’t complain about. It gives us more than a decent chance.

But we can’t be complacent or take anything for granted as no opposition should be dismissed or deemed as easy.