Willie Miller admits Hibs star has changed his mind as he won't make mistake again after 'outstanding' display
The Aberdeen legend thought Scotland defence was ‘absolutely superb’ in Copenhagen
It may not have been pretty, but Scotland did what they had to do in their opening World Cup qualification match against Denmark.
Some resolute defending from The Scots meant the game finished 0-0, in what could be a valuable point for the Steve Clarke’s men in hope of reaching next year’s major tournament. The Scotland boss now turns his attention to Belarus away, which is being played in Hungary’s ZTE Arena on Monday.
Hibs summer signing, Grant Hanley had a particularly strong performance against the Danes, clearing what felt like every ball in sight and putting his body on the line for his country. The 33-year old hasn’t always been the most popular choice amongst Scotland fans as a starting centre-back, but his dominant Danish display has already changed some opinions.
Miller hails Hanley ‘standout man’ in Denmark
Former Scotland and Aberdeen centre-back, Willie Miller has been one of Hanley’s critics in the past. However, the Dons’ Cup Winners’ Cup hero was full of praise for the Hibs man after the match, as well as his defensive partner, John Souttar. He said: "Hanley and John Souttar were absolutely superb, as was Angus Gunn behind them.
"You couldn't pick a fault in any of the players — it was a real team performance. There was bags of energy, loads of belief as well, everyone willing to work for the team. You had the strikers working back, Lyndon Dykes throwing his body in front of strikes. But the standout man was Grant Hanley. I put a little question mark on him, but I gave my reasons for doing so. I won’t be questioning him again in a back four, that's for sure. Because he was totally outstanding."
Hanley earned his 63rd cap in the draw against Denmark playing in a slightly different role . Normally, Clarke would set his team up with a back five in this type of fixture, however Kieran Tierney’s withdrawal meant this was no longer possible. Scotland also changed their tactics up front, as Clarke opted to play both Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams to help his team defend from the front.
Two up top ‘worked a treat’ for Steve Clarke
Miller claimed before the match he had reservations about Clarke’s decision to play with two strikers, but again conceded that it was useful on the night. He said: "I think the shape of the team was superb because I was puzzled with the two up top.
“The way it panned out and the way the team was organised, it was a defensive set-up, even though they had the two strikers because the two strikers became defenders most of the time. But we were still a threat going forward. It worked a treat. The manager is there to make difficult decisions and he did just that. He stuck by his principles and what he thought was right. And he got a fabulous result at the end of it which certainly damaged Denmark — they looked a very ordinary side.”