Billy Gilmour is pivotal to 4 Scotland pillars that will seal our Euro 2024 dream against Hungary – tactical analysis

Scotland's midfield should fear no one – but it’s the challenge of becoming the sum of all our parts against Hungary that will decide our fate.

Tactics and team selection are one thing but our football genetics are about to face the sternest test. Look at the draw with Switzerland. We witnessed the DNA that enabled us to qualify for this Euros – it was clearly visible in all aspects of our play. We need to see it again tonight if we’re to become history makers in the Stuttgart Arena.

Basics, such as our aggression when pressing the ball, was far better than what we saw against Germany in the opener. We were winning one-to-one duals and regaining the ball in good areas and, when we won the ball, we let the handbrake off and went forward with pace and committed bodies forward. In the first half Scotland had a string of passing sequences and it was no coincidence Billy Gilmour had come in as that pivotal deep-sitting midfielder.

He was always available, always showing for the ball. Gilmour gets his head up and is capable of threading the ball between the lines. Scotland aren’t a side who will dominate the ball – don’t expect that against Hungary tonight.

Dominik Szoboszlai can thread the ball through the eye of a needle for Peter Gulacsi and Willi Orban so we have to defend the space in behind which they love running into. The Hungarians shouldn’t be underestimated.

We need to build from a defensive base and be prepared to commit the men forward and crash the opposition’s box when we pick our moments. We must also have a plan as to where we want to win the ball and where we want to counter-attack from.

We need to purposely counter-press to get a share of the ball and that’s about Scott McTominay and John McGinn