Tierney is not taking extra rest
EVEN during a shortened summer holiday, Kieran Tierney will be following orders to ensure he is ready to begin Celtic’s Champions League quest. The 20-year-old has shunned any talk of seeking a significantly extended break after his international commitments with Scotland. Rest can wait for retirement. Celtic will learn their first European opponent of the summer in Monday’s draw. Later next week, pre-season training will begin in earnest. Brendan Rodgers’ squad then fly out from Scotland on June 26 to undertake a three-game central European tour ahead of a friendly against Shamrock Rovers in Dublin. Those games will be used to fine-tune preparations before the first leg of their initial Champions League qualifier on the midweek of July 11/12.
The wrap-around nature of the modern calendar, with one season almost rolling into the next, is something Tierney (below) is happy to accept. He sees it as a price well worth paying to operate at the highest level.
‘I’ll be in along with the rest of the team for the start of training,’ insisted Tierney. ‘I might get an extra day or two but no more.
‘That’s the mindset you need as a footballer. If you want to be at the top of your profession then you don’t get much rest.
‘I had four days away and I now have ten days off where I can recharge the batteries. During that time, I’ll still be working to make sure I’m sharp for pre-season.
‘The sports scientist at Celtic has devised a programme which is unique for each individual. There’s not too much in it as you won’t lose much fitness in ten days and you still need to recover and rest after a long season, but I’ll still work hard.
‘We all know what it’s like now with six games to reach the Champions League. That’s the way it is in Scotland and we have to knuckle down and get on with it.’
Tierney’s can-do approach was further underlined by his inclusion against England in last Saturday evening’s 2-2 draw. Not only was a gumshield required to protect a facial injury sustained in the Scottish Cup final, he wore it while occupying another unfamiliar defensive position.
Pitched in at right-back against Slovenia in March, Tierney was drafted in as a left-sided centre-back as Gordon Strachan switched tactics to try and combat the English threat.
‘In my mind, there was no doubt I’d be fit for the game but obviously it was out of my hands,’ reflected Tierney.
‘It’s down to the doctors and physios to decide if I’m okay to play, and that it’s no longer dangerous. I just gave my all.
‘I didn’t need to persuade the doctors to play. They are very professional and if I wasn’t able to play, then that would be the end of it. I knew I’d be fine with a gumshield in.
‘Centre-back was a new challenge just as right-back was the last time, but I don’t mind it. The manager asked me to play there and I’ll play anywhere. I’ll give my all and hopefully I will do well.’
Tierney was not, however, the headline-hogging Celt in Scotland’s ranks. That accolade indisputably went to Leigh Griffiths for the two sublime free-kicks he sent beyond Joe Hart. ‘He’s just goals, goals, goals,’ said Tierney of the 26-year-old striker. ‘He’ll always score and to do what he did in a pressurised situation, not once but twice against Joe Hart, is unbelievable. I’m so happy for him.’