The Arsenal star and Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson are key to Steve Clarke’s system.
All eyes will be on the teamlines tonight as Steve Clarke looks to make things work without one of his key lieutentants.
An injury almost anywhere else on the pitch could be legislated for with a like-for-like sub, but the nature of Clarke's back five depends on Tierney and his left-sided pal Andy Robertson being available. The system has been built round their partnership down the left flank, one running while the other stays and the've developed a telepathic understanding that completely blew Spain away at Hampden back in March.
That Euro 2020 defeat to the Czech Republic should have been the lesson that a back five doesn't work unless Tierney and Robertson are in on the left hand side. That was proven again against Denmark in the opening World Cup qualifier when he experimented with Robertson on the right hand side ... something that thankfully hasn't seen the light of day against since.
It wasn't until Ukraine came to Hampden in September 2022 that the penny dropped. This time it was Robertson missing, but rather than dropping Scott McTominay into a back five – which was how it appeared on paper – he switched to a 4-2-3-1. The change caught Ukraine on their heels and there came a 3-0 win that kick-started the sensational run of competitive form the Scots find themselves on just now.
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