There is little doubt Scotland are in a period of transition. There is, though, an abundance of uncertainty as to where they fit in, in the women's international game.
Friday night's four-goal defeat by Germany was another example that League A of the Nations League - or at least competing competitively there - is a stretch too far for the Scots.
That was made evident on their first foray in the competition's top tier back in 2023 when they picked up just two points - in back-to-back draws with Belgium - and finished bottom, resulting in relegation to League B.
When there last year, though, the Scots were unbeaten with five wins from six, having netted 13 goals in the process.
While such results built up the feel-good factor around Pedro Martinez Losa's then-side, midfielder Erin Cuthbert suggested the scores perhaps created a "false sense of security" in the lead up to their ultimate Euro 2025 play-off final failure against Finland.
Over the two legs, Scotland struggled to lay a finger on the Finns. Although their performance against the Netherlands last month was an improvement on the anonymous showing against Austria on matchday one, they were outclassed by the Germans at Tannadice.
So just where, or what, is Scotland's level?
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'Cutting edge lacking'
It seems foolish to say, but Scotland were the more dominant side in the first half in Dundee, despite going in two goals down.
A couple of sucker-punches - the opener inside a minute and an own-goal for the second - set them back in an otherwise comfortable first 45.
The return of Amy Rodgers and her defensive instincts allowed Real Madrid's Caroline Weir and Chelsea's Cuthbert to create and control the tempo at Tannadice.
Both missed chances and passes in the final third, though, something which Cuthbert believes is one of the recurring issues at this level for her side.
"That little bit of cutting edge, finding a moment, a pass - the killer pass, the killer ball, the killer shot, maybe that's the difference between winning and losing games," the 26-year-old said.
"We want to be hard to beat first and foremost. We're disappointed giving away four goals, whether it's a transition period or not, we're disappointed. It's no excuse.
"We want to be keeping clean sheets, being hard to beat and then taking our chances when they come."
Had Scotland done that, they might have struck a little fear into their better opponents - like they did last month, for a wee while at least, by ...
