Kieran Tierney is world's best underlapping overlapper as Arsenal star key to Scotland’s agents of chaos

KT, Robbo and Scotland’s agents of chaos. Or how a return to Steve Clarke’s favourite dynamic shape – a formation that rewards the all-action mayhem of our best midfield runners – put our boys on track for a winning start to their Euro 2024 campaign.

In an imperfect performance that yielded a perfect result for Clarke’s men, there was still plenty to savour. Not least in the mischief-making qualities of Scotland’s most creative players. Including, obviously, the best overlapping, underlapping, free-running centre-half in world football. Kieran Tierney’s understanding with captain Andy Robertson is, of course, key to making Scotland’s 3-4-2-1 set-up such a pain in the backside for opponents. Throw in a genuine game breaker like Stuart Armstrong, whose clever support running and exploiting of space gave Cyprus no end of headaches, and you can see why the home side were so good down the left side in particular.

We could have picked any one of half a dozen screenshots to show just how effective this trio were but, really, their role in the opening goal summed it up rather neatly.

Armstrong, having ambled into position to receive the ball from Tierney, looking up to find Robbo exactly where he should be – on the shoulder of the last man. Half a heartbeat later, Armstrong has played the ball in for Robertson to cross … leaving John McGinn to do apply the finish.

Ah yes, McGinn. When you talk about chaos, in a good way, he’s top of everyone’s list. Quite apart from his nose for a goal, his ability to drag defenders out of position, spin and punish them for their rashness is absolutely top notch (as McGinn and Adams almost combine for a second).

Any team lining up with just one recognised striker has to rely on midfielders