When Rangers boss Walter Smith played six at the back to hold out for a goalless draw in their Champions League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford in September, it was thought defensive-minded football had been taken to a new level.

However, Craig Levein usurped that in Scotland's Euro 2012 qualifier against the Czech Republic in Prague in Friday night when he used a 4-6-0 formation.

Home goalkeeper Petr Cech was a virtual spectator for the whole 90 minutes, in which Scotland lost 1-0 to a Roman Hubnik header. That kept Scotland on four points from three games and left their qualifying hopes in a precarious position ahead of tomorrow night's clash with world champions Spain at Hampden.

Levein has come in for some heavy criticism since the match but his assistant said: "If I'm being brutally honest, Scottish football fans probably need to get used to the fact that this is the way our teams will go about trying to get results.

"When you're playing top sides that's what you need to do.

"Rangers went down to Old Trafford and I thought they were brilliant and I thought they should have had a penalty kick from one counter-attack.

"They were so organised. They played to their strengths and their players did a fantastic job.

"Going back to Friday night, I thought our players worked their socks off and for long spells I couldn't see them scoring. I didn't see them creating an awful lot of chances.

"We're set up as a nation to counter-attack. Sometimes when we open ourselves up we lose so many goals and I feel when we went to 4-4-2 in Prague, the Czech Republic had more space to play.

"By that time you're trying to chase and get something back from the game.

"If you look at the majority of Scottish club sides in Europe, we're better as a counter-attacking team - we've proved that at club and international level on many occasions.

"We're going to have to get used to the fact that Spain are technically superior to us.

"If we go and play a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 or whatever it may be then we're more vulnerable to losing goals.

"It's maybe something we should look at at youth level but again that's going back to things we've written and spoken about before."