Kieran Tierney played 35 minutes for Scotland as Steve Clarke’s side suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home to Greece which condemned the Tartan Army to relegation to Nations League B.
The Scots won the first leg 1-0 in Piraeaus, courtesy of a penalty from Scott McTominay.
Heading into the second leg at Hampden Park with a healthy lead, Clarke’s team capitulated, with goals from Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karersas and Christos Tzolis ensuring a shock result.
Scotland will now spend the next iteration of the Nations League in the second division, while they’ll commence their World Cup qualification campaign in a group that involves Greece in September.
Scottish media review Arsenal star Kieran Tierney’s cameo against Greece
Clarke has used a back three to accommodate Tierney and Andy Robertson in recent years, but with the Arsenal man out of action for the last three international breaks prior to this, the Scotland boss has reverted to a back four.
This has meant that there’s been no room for the 27-year-old in the starting eleven in the games against Greece, although he was granted a substantial cameo on Sunday evening.
Introduced in the 55th minute when the scoreline was already 3-0, Tierney was deployed on the left-wing, where he’s been used by Mikel Arteta frequently off the bench this season.
Scotland’s media outlets generally gave an indifferent review of the defender’s display, although they did note that he was able to get into a dangerous position and almost score.
The Herald gave Tierney a 4/10, writing: “Unlucky not to start again as he paid the price for Clarke sticking with a back four for Scotland. Brought on at left wing in the absence of unavailable Ben Doak and provided some needed desire. Had best sight of goal in the second period but half-chance was fairly comfortably saved.”
Edinburgh News awarded him a 5/10, and wrote: “Introduced for Gilmour and slotted into an advanced position on the left-hand side. Almost netted a consolation in stoppage time.”
Meanwhile, the Scotsman gave Tierney a 4/10, positing: “Some bright moments down the left-hand side, but the game was as good as done by the time he arrived on the park.”
Kieran Tierney’s display for Scotland shows he could be useful to Mikel Arteta
Tierney is expected to join Celtic at the end of the season when his contract at the Emirates expires, and thus, his exploits on international duty won’t concern Arteta too much.
However, Arteta has used Tierney at left-wing in recent months and is likely to call upon this option on a few more occaasions this campaign, with Arsenal currently lacking forward players.
Scottish media observing the player’s ability to pop up in dangerous areas will be positive news for Arteta, and this could make for a viable offensive option for the Spaniard moving forward.
| Tierney’s statistics vs Greece | |
| Minutes Played | 35 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Expected Goals | 0.47 |
| Accurate Passes | 23/27 (85%) |
| Touches | 40 |
| Passes into the Final Third | 3 |
| Tackles Won | 1/1 (100%) |
| Ground Duels Won | 2/4 (50%) |
| Key Passes | 1 |
Leandro Trossard has struggled on international duty and has been poor for the Gunners of late, meaning the Arsenal boss may begin to move away from the Belgian, creating opportunities for Tierney in the forward-line.
While the left-back has generally looked unnatural in an advanced position, there were clearly green shoots in what he showcased for his nation on Sunday, which is encouraging news for Arteta, who is desperate for attacking solutions.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
