Argentina was ideal preparation, says Maloney

SHAUN MALONEY believes Scotland's glamour friendly against Argentina provided the ideal preparation for their crucial World Cup qualifier against Holland.

Maloney insisted there were plenty of positives to take from last night's clash at Hampden.

George Burley's men were far from embarrassed against one of the best footballing nations in the world, with Maxi Rodriguez's eighth-minute strike all that separated the two teams on the night.

But the opportunity to pit their wits against the likes of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano will have provided the Scots with some idea of the level of quality they can expect to face in Amsterdam in March.

With just four points from their opening three games, hopes of qualifying for the World Cup finals are already hanging in the balance and Maloney believes last night's workout was a worthwhile exercise ahead of the toughest game in the group.

He said: "In our next game against Holland we will face similar quality. There will be long times when we are without the ball and that's something we have to learn to deal with.

"It was another game for the manager and I'm sure he will have seen things to take on board. Some boys made their debuts so there were positives to take."