I could give Tierney the gloves and he’d likely be a great goalkeeper
SAYS CRAIG GORDON
DEFENSIVE problems have been the bane of the life of a Scotland manager for longer than anyone cares to remember. In Kieran Tierney, though, there are usually only solutions.
The latter days of Gordon Strachan’s reign saw the nation sweat over some wearingly familiar quandaries. A gap at right-back. A lack of dependability at centre-half. An overabundance of quality left-backs. Perhaps the answer was not quite as difficult as we thought.
Slotting in seamlessly at left-sided centre-half against Holland on Thursday, Tierney ran a red pen through two of those pressing concerns. Not only was his class and drive accommodated, Andrew Robertson was allowed to roam in his preferred role.
A commendable display by Ryan Jack at right-back suggested Callum Paterson will have stern competition for his place once fully fit. The upshot is that Scotland belatedly have the makings of a dependable backline.
Skipper for the night at just 20-years-old, Tierney’s display was befitting of the honour. Now closing in on a century of appearances for his club, you start to wonder if the much-predicted dip will ever materialise.
‘I don’t really know what his best position is because he can do anything,’ said Parkhead team-mate Craig Gordon.
‘I want to give him a shot of the gloves and see if he can do that as well!
‘I’m sure he could do it because, every position he plays, he does exceptionally well. He is just a terrific footballer.
‘He is good enough to go and play in midfield as well.
‘It doesn’t matter where he is asked to play. He always gives everything he’s got.’
When Callum McGregor recently described Tierney as ‘a freak’, it was only ever meant and taken as a compliment.
Young players bursting on to the scene seem almost duty-bound to taper off after 20 to 25 games. It’s happened to the best of them.
Tierney, though, continues to rip up the rule book. With a progress chart that’s only ever risen since making his Celtic debut three years ago, his ascendancy to stand-in Scotland captain in Scott Brown’s absence seemed almost inevitable. ‘I was looking across the team and going through the potential captains and he was one of the top ones on my list,’ added Gordon. ‘He has done it at Celtic and I’m sure there will be a lot more occasions when he is captain of his club and his country.
‘He has always had the potential to be a captain.
‘He is a leader, he leads by example and he is good in the changing room as well. He has such a strong character.’
The only pity, from Tierney’s perspective, was that the occasion was marred by an ill-deserved defeat stemming from the loss of a sloppy goal.
If the lack of a cutting edge was cause for concern, Malky Mackay’s experimental line-up did themselves proud against stellar opponents.
Jack, Ryan Christie, Kenny McLean and Callum McGregor suggested they are worthy of future consideration at this level.
‘I think we did well and had some good passages of play,’ reflected Gordon. ‘Right across the pitch, it was an energetic performance.
‘We created a number of chances against a team of Holland’s quality.
‘We had a game plan and a lot of it was carried out. We got chances from what we had tried to do during the week.
‘From that point of view, it was quite successful.
‘The quality of the move and the finish was the difference between the teams.
‘We were set up to sit in and break on them rather than the other way about.
‘When we gave the ball away, it was a long way from our goal. It was on their 18-yard line.
‘They broke forward at good speed and with numbers and we didn’t manage to stop it. I looked across thinking it was offside but the linesman flag stayed down.’
The comfort McGregor exuded surprised no one. Few these days waste their breath on the argument that international football is still the pinnacle. Plainly superior than that is to be found in the Champions League — an environment in which the Celtic midfielder has thrived.
‘There were good performances all round and all the boys did pretty well, although I know from Celtic how good Callum can be,’ said Gordon. ‘He can pull the strings with both his passing and his finishing.
‘He was always going to be a good player to come into this squad.
‘He is one of the fittest guys in our team, so he covers the ground as well.
‘Defensively, that is always going to help.’
Gordon’s renaissance at international level continues apace. Now two games beyond the 50-cap mark that for so long looked to be beyond him, the landmark was duly recognised in Aberdeen with a presentation from Dons and Scotland legend Willie Miller.
‘I didn’t know that was happening,’ insisted Gordon. ‘I knew at some point I would get a medal for reaching 50 caps.
‘It was nice to get that from Willie, especially in Aberdeen.
‘He made a speech and it was an honour to receive it from someone like him. It is also an honour just to reach 50 caps for my country.
‘I’m only the third goalkeeper to do it. I’m only one behind Alan Rough, so I’m gunning for him.
‘I have two more to get second place although I’m still a long way behind Jim Leighton (91).’