Celtic defender Anthony Ralston has been a topic of discussion in wider Scottish footballing circles after starting both of his nation’s group matches at EURO 2024.
The Tartan Army were comprehensively beaten in the tournament opener against the hosts before recording a 1-1 draw with Switzerland on matchday two.
Ralston’s misplaced pass played a part in Xherdan Shaqiri’s stunning equaliser; however, he wasn’t helped by his teammates failing to drop in and receive alongside some careless possession in the lead-up.
Either way, the 25-year-old recovered to put in a strong second-half showing, earning plaudits from Celtic captain Callum McGregor, Scotland skipper Andy Robertson and defensive colleague Jack Hendry.
Never one to lack character, Ralston left it all out on the pitch once again, and pundit Leanne Crichton believes he is at a slight disadvantage due to Steve Clarke’s tactical framework.
Anthony Ralston’s position for Scotland highlighted
Per BBC Sport, Crichton has cited the fact that Ralston is being asked to play as a right wing-back rather than at full-back as symbol that Scotland aren’t operating in a system engineered to accommodate his main attributes.
She explained: “He comes in, and I’ve actually seen the flipside of it now. When you analyse the goal, right away were watching it and we’re thinking ‘what is he doing’ because we’ve criticised him for being negative at this tournament. His body is always closed off, the way he receives it.
“But actually, when you look at the flip side. When he plays at Celtic he’s got somebody like Carter-Vickers underneath the ball that is always ready to build and always ready to drop off the game.
“Now, the two centre-backs that were closest to him, Hanley and Hendry, not one of them are interested in offering that wee bit of support, so it is a blind pass, it catches everybody on the hop and we put out hands up to that, but I think Anthony Ralston is in a position where it’s difficult. He’s a full-back and not a wing-back; he’s being asked to play a position that is not comfortable. I know people might say it’s a similar type of position, but it’s not his strength.”
Crichton makes a valid argument: it is hard enough to come into an international tournament having not played a great deal of club football, never mind technically being asked to play out of position.
The great thing about Ralston is he just gets on with it. You never hear about him complaining or shirking responsibility, the Celtic man puts his best foot forward and rolls with the punches in that respect.
Hopefully, if he is selected against Hungary tomorrow night, the Bellshill-born man can silence his doubters on the international stage.