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Robertson and Tierney: Scotland’s double threat down the left

Robertson and Tierney: Scotland’s double threat down the left

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Scotland spent years trying to fit Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney into the same team. They used Tierney as a centre-back. They tried him on the right side of the defence. For a long time, it was a case of one or the other. And then Steve Clarke stumbled upon the solution – play them both in their preferred position. Two left backs in the one team.

By Graham Ruthven

Technically speaking, Robertson and Tierney play in a back five for Scotland with the former a wing-back and the latter a left-sided centre-back. That’s how it looks on paper. On the pitch, though, the pair have built a partnership down the same wing. Their connection could supercharge Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign.

The last few months have darkened the mood around Scotland ahead of this summer’s tournament. Clarke’s team have won just one of their last nine fixtures while injuries to important players like Aaron Hickey, Lyndon Dykes, Lewis Ferguson and Nathan Patterson have depleted the squad that flew to Germany last Sunday.

And yet Scotland still boast a left flank to rival that of any other team’s at Euro 2024. Robertson and Tierney have both had their injury troubles this season, but their eye-catching performance in Scotland’s final warm-up friendly against Finland suggested they are fully fit and in-form. Scotland need them to be.

Robertson and Tierney are Scotland’s most reliable funnel into the attacking third. While the former stays wide and stretches the pitch, the latter makes driving runs inside. Robertson is an exceptional crosser of the ball – as highlighted by his standing as the most prolific assist-making defender in Premier League history (stats below) – with Tierney masterful at threading passes in behind opponents. 

Of course, Scotland have other strengths. They qualified for Euro 2024 comfortably from a tricky group that included Spain, Norway, and Georgia who will also be in Germany this summer and will feature in League A of the UEFA Nations League later this year after winning back-to-back promotions in the competition. This is a team that has been building to this point.

Scotland’s midfield will hold its own at Euro 2024. Billy Gilmour and Callum McGregor give them security in possession in the centre of the pitch while Scott McTominay and John McGinn offer attacking threat with late runs into the box with the energetic Ryan Christie the link between them all. 

The left wing, however, is where Scotland could do most damage. It’s certainly an area Clarke will place an emphasis on against Germany such is their relative weakness in the right-back position. Joshua Kimmich might be a top quality player, but he has always been more comfortable in central midfield. He could be overwhelmed by the pairing of Robertson and Tierney driving at him in Friday’s Euro 2024 opener. 

“I had to persuade Kieran that he was better than Andy and that’s why I trusted him to play left centre-back and not Andy,” said Clarke when asked to explain how he remoulded Scotland’s defensive structure to fit Robertson and Tierney in the same lineup. “Now, that’s probably not strictly true but that’s how I had to sell it to Kieran. Now we’ve got the best overlapping centre-back in world football. It works.”

No Scotland team has ever made it beyond the group stage of a major tournament. Every member of The Tartan Army – not to mention the players themselves – travelling to Germany this summer is aware of this embarrassing fact, making clear the objective for this particular side. Scotland plan on being in the last 16.

Without Robertson and Tierney at the peak of their powers, though, it’s difficult to envisage that happening. Tierney missed Scotland’s opening game of Euro 2020, when Czech Republic came to Hampden and spoiled the tartan party. That defeat put Clarke’s team on the back foot. They never recovered.

In the last three years, though, Scotland have come a long way. They may be missing a number of players at Euro 2024 and their recent form leading into the tournament might not be the strongest, but Robertson and Tierney are good enough to impose themselves on any opponent – even Germany. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Robertson and Tierney: Scotland’s double threat down the left

Scotland spent years trying to fit Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney into the same team. They used Tierney as a centre-back. They tried him on the right side of the defence. For a long time, it was a case of one or the other. And then Steve Clarke stumbled upon the solution – play them both in their preferred position. Two left backs in the one team.

By Graham Ruthven

Technically speaking, Robertson and Tierney play in a back five for Scotland with the former a wing-back and the latter a left-sided centre-back. That’s how it looks on paper. On the pitch, though, the pair have built a partnership down the same wing. Their connection could supercharge Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign.

The last few months have darkened the mood around Scotland ahead of this summer’s tournament. Clarke’s team have won just one of their last nine fixtures while injuries to important players like Aaron Hickey, Lyndon Dykes, Lewis Ferguson and Nathan Patterson have depleted the squad that flew to Germany last Sunday.

And yet Scotland still boast a left flank to rival that of any other team’s at Euro 2024. Robertson and Tierney have both had their injury troubles this season, but their eye-catching performance in Scotland’s final warm-up friendly against Finland suggested they are fully fit and in-form. Scotland need them to be.

Robertson and Tierney are Scotland’s most reliable funnel into the attacking third. While the former stays wide and stretches the pitch, the latter makes driving runs inside. Robertson is an exceptional crosser of the ball – as highlighted by his standing as the most prolific assist-making defender in Premier League history (stats below) – with Tierney masterful at threading passes in behind opponents. 

Of course, Scotland have other strengths. They qualified for Euro 2024 comfortably from a tricky group that included Spain, Norway, and Georgia who will also be in Germany this summer and will feature in League A of the UEFA Nations League later this year after winning back-to-back promotions in the competition. This is a team that has been building to this point.

Scotland’s midfield will hold its own at Euro 2024. Billy Gilmour and Callum McGregor give them security in possession in the centre of the pitch while Scott McTominay and John McGinn offer attacking threat with late runs into the box with the energetic Ryan Christie the link between them all. 

The left wing, however, is where Scotland could do most damage. It’s certainly an area Clarke will place an emphasis on against Germany such is their relative weakness in the right-back position. Joshua Kimmich might be a top quality player, but he has always been more comfortable in central midfield. He could be overwhelmed by the pairing of Robertson and Tierney driving at him in Friday’s Euro 2024 opener. 

“I had to persuade Kieran that he was better than Andy and that’s why I trusted him to play left centre-back and not Andy,” said Clarke when asked to explain how he remoulded Scotland’s defensive structure to fit Robertson and Tierney in the same lineup. “Now, that’s probably not strictly true but that’s how I had to sell it to Kieran. Now we’ve got the best overlapping centre-back in world football. It works.”

No Scotland team has ever made it beyond the group stage of a major tournament. Every member of The Tartan Army – not to mention the players themselves – travelling to Germany this summer is aware of this embarrassing fact, making clear the objective for this particular side. Scotland plan on being in the last 16.

Without Robertson and Tierney at the peak of their powers, though, it’s difficult to envisage that happening. Tierney missed Scotland’s opening game of Euro 2020, when Czech Republic came to Hampden and spoiled the tartan party. That defeat put Clarke’s team on the back foot. They never recovered.

In the last three years, though, Scotland have come a long way. They may be missing a number of players at Euro 2024 and their recent form leading into the tournament might not be the strongest, but Robertson and Tierney are good enough to impose themselves on any opponent – even Germany. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.