Tierney return is a welcome boost, says Robertsom
AFTER what seems like decades lamenting a lack of world class talent in the Scotland side, it is a somewhat cruel twist of fate that when the national team does have two genuinely top level operators to choose from, they play in the same position.
It is a problem that Scotland coach Steve Clarke would rather have than be unburdened by, of course. But how does he get Liverpool left- back and Scotland captain Andy Robertson as well as Arsenal left- back and former Celtic man Kieran Tierney into the same starting XI without upsetting the balance of his team?
The Nations League game tonight against Israel is the first time that he has had to attempt to find an answer to that particular conundrum due to Tierney’s long- standing injury problems. With those problems thankfully now behind him it is a question that has no doubt long occupied Clarke’s thoughts.
Former Scotland boss Gordon Strachan opted to play Tierney at right- back, harking back to the wisdom of Jock Stein when he shifted Danny McGrain to left- back to accommodate both the Celtic man and Rangers counterpart Sandy Jardine in the same side many decades before. The line of thinking that you get your best players in your team, no matter how you do it, is one that Clarke is likely to follow.
Tierney has played at centreback for his country before, and has also played on the left of a back three at Arsenal, so if one of the men is to move from his usual berth, his versatility would make him the obvious candidate to make way.
For the players themselves, it is an ultimately tiresome debate. For captain Robertson, it’s just a joy to have a player of such a calibre back involved in the national team set- up. The issue of where he plays, he is happy to pass on.
“That’s probably a question you’d need to ask the manager,” he said. “[ Kieran]’ s slotted into a back three for Arsenal and done well.
“I’ve played against him twice, and it looks as though Mikel Arteta has got them drilled into that formation and they play it very well.
“KT can play left centreback, but that’s up to the manager whether he chooses to do that. If he does, that’s exactly how we’ll deal with it and we’ll work on it.
“We can all play different positions and it’s up to the manager to decide on that, and then it’s up to us to go and perform on the pitch.
“He’s an unbelievable professional and you can tell that when you sit down with him, you can see it the way he plays.
“The last wee while has been hard for him injury wise, but he’s a fantastic player with a lot of talent and he’s come back stronger.
“His style and his determination are there for all to see and hopefully his injury problems are all in the past now and he can look ahead.
“We’re delighted to have him back. He’s been out a long time and it’s great he’s back because he’s such an important player for Scotland.
“We’ve both spoken about it before, I think we are both fed
up hearing the comparisons between us. We both get on great, both on and off the pitch.
“There is no real comparison. Look, we play in the same position, but we play at different clubs and previous managers have found a way to get us both in the team. It’s up to this manager whether he decides to do that or not.
“It gets a bit wearing on both of us to be compared all the time, we’re fortunate to both be playing at big clubs and that’s the way we look at it.”
After a 10- month hiatus from international football, Robertson is looking forward to getting his teeth into a packed schedule of Scotland fixtures over the next few months, with the ultimate goal of reaching the promised land of a major tournament foremost in his mind.
For the skipper, this period could be the making of Steve Clarke’s squad.
“It’s fair to say that,” he said. “We have a semi- final and hopefully a final [ coming up].
“It’s well documented that it’s now 22 years of not qualifying for a tournament. We are the next squad who can try to put that right. We are two games away from doing that and we know it’s a hard task in front of us.
“But it can make this squad. It can give us so much confidence going into the Euros if we can qualify.
“Whatever happens we will learn from it and that’s important. But it could be a big 10 weeks and we play to make it that.
“After not seeing each other for a long time we are going to get pretty familiar over the next couple of months.
“Everyone has had a smile on their face this week and you can tell they are all delighted to be back with Scotland.”