World Cup has been pleasant viewing for Scotland boss Gordon Strachan

Gordon Strachan will be massively encouraged by the World Cup.

It has been a terrific tournament, one which has captured the imagination of fans all over the planet. Crucially from a Scotland perspective, the guiding principles espoused by the national coach have been to the fore.

Chile’s victory over Spain was the perfect example of a high-tempo pressing game paying off for a team. In hot and humid conditions, Chile’s young, athletic side hustled and harried the world champions straight out of the tournament.

You just had to look at the passing stats to see how discomforted the usually ultra-composed Spaniards think Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets were by the tactic.

The percentage of successful passes achieved was way down on their usual numbers. Even they didn’t tell the whole story as many of those were hit backwards a sure sign of a team which is struggling to impose itself on a game.

Less successful, yet highly impressive nevertheless, was Australia’s display in defeat to Holland. They likewise ran their more illustrious opponents ragged but were undone by some poor defending and went down 3-2 in what was an excellent spectacle.

These games will have made very pleasing viewing for Strachan because they show that there is not actually all that much between the countries at the very top level.

Scotland, after all, beat Croatia home and away in the qualifiers and they haven’t been doing badly in Brazil. They hammered Cameroon 4-0 during the week and led the hosts in the opening fixture before eventually going down to a narrow loss.

The country’s wins over Croatia were part of a positive sequence of results that have also seen us beat Norway and Macedonia away from home.

Largely speaking, the key to these wins has been a high-energy pressing game which puts a big emphasis on attack and requires hard work plus a serious team effort.

It has been a success and very popular with a support which believes we are on the verge of, at last, getting back to a major Final.

I agree. With extra countries added into the mix, I think it is realistic to think we can book our place in the 2016 Euros in France. There is a but.

What the World Cup has also reminded us is the truth of another message Gordon Strachan often repeats. The value of having a truly exceptional player in your side.

Luis Suarez, Pirlo, Arjen Robben and, of course, Lionel Messi have all wasted no time reminding us why they enjoy such great reputations.

While their skills are terrific to watch, it is the disruptive impact they have on opposition tactics that makes all the difference.

When Messi goes past an opponent into the box another is forced to go across to him and that in turn leaves one of his team-mates free.

As a Rangers player I used to benefit hugely from the skills of Davie Cooper who would draw defenders to him before releasing a pass into the space I had run into.

The Scotland manager would love someone who could do this for us on a regular basis.

Ikechi Anya, Robert Snodgrass and Shaun Maloney all have the potential to do so but further improvement is needed if we are to cheer a Scotland on in two years’ time.