Tierney just slots in and feels right at home on the ‘wrong’ side of defence
Celtic teen does his England chances no harm with impressive Slovenia display
THERE were many questions waiting to be answered on Sunday night at Hampden Park but there was one everyone should really have known the answer to before a ball was kicked.
Could Kieran Tierney perform at right-back? How silly. Of course he could. The kid seems capable of just about anything.
The Celtic teenager – who won’t turn 20 until June – took a while to get used to playing on the opposite side he is used to of a back four against Slovenia, but once he got going it seemed as if he had played there all his life.
By the second-half, Tierney was rampaging down the right flank as he ordinarily does on the left, beating defenders and putting in consistently good balls with his weaker foot. He also hardly allowed Slovenia any sniff of an attack in his part of the pitch.
“I don’t know about that,” was the reply from Tierney when asked if rightback would be his position from now on. It won’t be for Celtic but may well be for Scotland after Sunday night’s display.
“I was asked to do a job in there and I worked hard all night. That’s all I could do. It was good. It’s just defending. It’s a bit harder for me on my weaker side but I worked hard all week in training to get used to it. The gaffer and the coaching staff were giving me a lot of tips and pointers. It’s not completely natural as you’re on the opposite side, but hopefully I did my bit for the team.
“It was a good battle out there. That’s what you want. It was a competitive match and a huge game for both teams. There was a lot of pressure on the team, maybe even more so with me playing out of position, but everybody was great with me. I did my best and worked my hardest.”
Watching Tierney adapt so well to playing in the ‘wrong’ position did remind Scotland supporters of a certain age about another Celtic full-back who found it easy to switch sides, as it were.
“I’ve not really had a chance to speak to Danny McGrain about it yet, but I’m sure he’ll have a few things to tell me when I get back to Lennoxtown,” said Tierney. “It doesn’t really matter where I play, whether it’s left or right-back or in midfield, I’ll just do my best.
“I think I was 13 or 14 when I last played one or two games there but, other than that, I’ve not really played or even trained there at all.
“You can’t let anything get the better of you. The coaches were just giving me tips, trying to mirror what the left side is like. It’s obviously different being on your weaker side but you just need to try to get the principles right and I worked my hardest all day.
“I got asked the week before we went about how I would feel if I was to play right-back. I said, yeah, I would play anywhere on the pitch. It’s just the other side of the full-backs. I was thinking it would be hard for me, but I was trusted there, and that’s a lot of trust to put in a 19-year-old. It’s up to the gaffer if I have been playing well to pick me in the squad again.”
Tierney is as close as it comes to a dead cert to get picked for the England game on June 10 at Hampden. The showdown with the Auld Enemy was always going to be a big day and after Scotland salavged their chance to qualify for the World Cup against Slovenia, it’s not just wounded pride to play for. A win for Gordon Strachan’s men would give the Scots a real chance of second place in Group F.
There remain plenty of ifs and buts from here on the road to Russia 2018; however, the manager at least has something to plan towards other than early retirement.
And like Sunday, Strachan must choose his strongest squad and not overthink things, which he has been criticised for in the past. Six Celtic players began against Slovenia and unless form and fitness are an issue, this should happen again when our southern cousins come to town...including Sunday night’s captain.
“The England game is absolutely massive now. It was always a massive game. But it’s one we are looking forward to,” said Tierney.
“It’s smack bang in the middle of the holidays, but I am sure Scott [Brown] will look forward to it.
“He’s been absolutely brilliant for me since day one when I was with the Under-20s. He’s helped me on the way up, all the way to the Scotland squad.
“I hope he doesn’t retire again now. You saw him the other night, he was brilliant again. He was keeping us going, being a real leader and captain.”