Tierney urged to ‘play with freedom’ in bid for trophy

Wilfried Nancy has challenged Celtic star Kieran Tierney to step out of his comfort zone at Hampden today to help the pair achieve a couple of significant firsts.

Victory for the Hoops against St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final would see the Frenchman deliver a piece of silverware in only his third match in charge of the club.

It would also give Tierney (below) his first winners’ medal since returning to Celtic Park after six years at Arsenal, with whom he won the FA Cup in 2020.

“I know Kieran obviously from his time playing with Arsenal and I know his qualities,” said Nancy.

“He is really, really, good and I have challenged him to play with more freedom.

“More freedom from an attacking perspective but also defensively because I want him to try more things.

“He has the level to do it and he does it, but I would like him to do it more often.

“His talent, the way he plays, his leadership qualities, all make him an important player for us. “But sometimes he puts a bit of limitation on himself, and this is something that we have been talking about.

“The idea is to give him all the tools to be good, to be open and to play without constraints.”

While KT chose to try his luck in England, quitting in a record £25 million move, his fellow academy graduates Callum Mcgregor, James Forrest and Tony Ralston stayed put, becoming serial silverware winners.

They extended habits that their new manager is sure will be beneficial to his side in the final.

“It will help us for sure because the kind of situation we are going into is not new for them, rather it is familiar,” said the Celtic boss.

“Their experiences are really important. That is why I talk to them a lot and that is why we try to share ideas and connections in the group.

“I am really happy to have this opportunity with them.

“It could be a lot of pressure, but I think that, with Callum and the other players, they know how to deal with it.”

Successive defeats to Hearts and Roma in his first two games have brought early scrutiny on the manager and he is frank in acknowledging the additional jeopardy faced by the one-off nature of today’s game.

The remaining Premiership schedule offers up chances for the Bhoys to catch the Tynecastle men and Europa League qualification remains achievable , but lose in the final and there will be no second chances.

“It is do or die,” said the Hoops boss, who reports having no injury issues to concern him.

“We want to win every game, but the final is a final. So, there is no discussion with that.

“The morale is good. We are all competitors. When we don’t have the result that we want, as a human being, you question it. This is totally normal.

“But we are going to try to do everything to win the game. What do we do to win it? For me, this is the most important thing.”