The biggest difference between the Denmark game and the one at Hampden – as well as emphatic friendly wins over Slovakia and Bulgaria and the first qualifier against Belarus – was that the Danes did not allow those young talents to flourish.
They were not afforded anything like the same time and space – something Scotland will have to learn from.
Don’t expect Jovanovic to abandon his new commitment to this potentially golden generation as a result of that wake-up call.
If Karetsas is fit to start, the likelihood is that he, Konstantelias and Tzolis will once again support Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis.
In midfield, 31-year-old Dimitris Kourbelis was given the nod over another teenager, Christos Mouzakitis, against Denmark, but the 18-year-old could well reprise his role alongside Christos Zafeiris, both of whom operated well at Hampden.
At the back, Dinos Koulierakis is already an established first choice at just 21 and goalkeeper Konstantis Tzolakis, 22, has started the first two qualifiers having also played the double-header against Scotland.
The line-up has not varied greatly since and one bad result will not change that, so Scotland will be up against familiar opponents.
They just have to make sure they use the lessons from March and September to their advantage in order to keep up the positive start to World Cup qualification.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.