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CELTIC star Anthony Ralston has had a rollercoaster Euro 2024 thus far.

He looked decidedly ill at ease against admittedly world class opponents in the opener against Germany in the form of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

COLOGNE, GERMANY - JUNE 19: Anthony Ralston of Scotland (R) was crushed after drawing with Swiss during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Scotland and Switzerland at Cologne Stadium on June 19, 2024 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Anthony Ralston of Scotland after the draw with Switzerland

Keeping his place - to the surprise of some - for the second match against Switzerland, the Hoops man's slack backpass was latched onto by Xherdan Shaqiri as he fired in a stunning equaliser.

He was also troubled one-on-one when isolated against the likes of Dan Ndoye or Ruben Vargas.

But not only did he show commendable grit to bounce back from his major mistake, it's easy to forge the crucial role he played in Steve Clarke's tactical system against the Swiss - both with and without the ball.

Clarke had worried he had given his players too much information before the first match but if he simplified things it seemed to work against the Swiss.

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And Ralston was the perfect example.

When the Swiss had the ball at re-starts, Ralston was asked to press high up the park in an attempt to stop them playing out from the back.

Ralston pressed high into a winger or inside forward role from a Swiss goal-kick as early as the sixth minute
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Ralston pressed high into a winger or inside forward role from a Swiss goal-kick as early as the sixth minute

While he lined up almost in a right winger's role, in truth he was almost playing as an advanced defender.

His main job here was to stop the ball coming out to experienced left sided central defender Ricardo Rodriguez.

It was calculated risk, as it left Scotland man for man behind him.

But dangerous wide man Michel Aebischer - who loves coming off his flank looking for work - ended up being picked up by Billy Gilmour, while Jack Hendry and Grant Hanley locked onto strikers Vargas and Ndoye.

Scotland hero James McFadden caught wildly celebrating Scott McTominay goal

Very rarely were the Swiss able to play through the press and when they did our back-tracking defenders covered well.

And that's what happened on this occasion as the ball ends up going long and Hanley deals with the situation comfortably.

As for when we HAD the ball, Ralston had an even more vital role to play.

Again he generally took a very high position from re-starts, almost like a right winger.

Scotland Player Ratings

By Andy Devlin

Angus Gunn: Watched five fly past him on Friday night in Munich. Beaten all ends up by a brilliant finish as the Swiss drew level. Made two big saves to deny Ndoye, the second one a truly fantastic stop…..7.

Jack Hendry: The Al-Ettifaq defender won’t come up against the class of the Germans or Swiss in Saudi Arabia. His pace was vital at times last night as he linked superbly with the returning Hanley….7.

Grant Hanley: With Ryan Porteous suspended, the Norwich City defender was reinstated to the starting line up. Just six starts for his club this season but so close to a goal, his header coming back off the post…7.

Kieran Tierney: Immediately signalled to the bench after being turned by Ndoye. Looked in considerable distress as he was stretched off. It’s another hammer blow for the full-back with his tournament surely over….6.

Anthony Ralston: Nightmare moment that will haunt the Celtic star for the rest of his career. It’s not clear what the full-back was trying to do, but his woeful pass back gifted Switzerland an equaliser…5.

Billy Gilmour: Missed out in Munich, chosen ahead of Christie in Cologne. Was the catalyst for the opening goal, bringing the ball down on his chest and sending Robertson scampering clear. Always wanting the ball….7.

Callum McGregor: The Celtic captain had nothing to celebrate on his 31st birthday last Friday night. But this was much more like it as the midfielder played his part in a much improved performance…7.

Andy Robertson: Brilliant driving run for the opening goal. The captain promised there would be a reaction and there certainly was. He set the standards as Steve Clarke’s side finally announced their arrival in the tournament..7.

Scott McTominay: Deployed in the No.10 role, primarily to stop Xhaka dictating the play. The talisman in qualifying was eventually credited with Scotland’s goal, despite the clear deflection off Schar….7.

John McGinn: By his own admission. the poster boy of the Tartan Army just hasn’t got going in the Euros. Left chasing shadows in Munich, he was on the fringes of the action again against Switzerland…6

Che Adams: What a shift the Southampton striker put in. Ran himself into the ground. Such a thankless task, but he shouldered the responsibility. One half chance deep inside first half stoppage time….7.

Subs: Scott McKenna: The man with no club came on for the injured Tierney and picked up a yellow card inside five minutes.

Kenny McLean: Replaced Billy Gimour as Scotland chased the winner….3.

Lawrence Shankland: The Hearts striker came off the bench in injury time, could have a part to play against Hungary….2.

Ryan Christie: Not much time to make an impact…2.

This forced the Swiss to retreat the dangerous Aubischer back to mark him, the Scots' 4-2-4 shape giving the Scots again six players against three to play the ball out with far more comfort than they showed against Germany.

But it also meant the Scots DIDN'T HAVE to play out from the back.

Because if and when the Swiss pushed further players on, Gunn could simply attempt to win possession (and territory) higher up the pitch by hitting Ralston directly with a long pass.

When Scotland keeper Angus Gunn decided to play long, Ralston lined up as a winger, in a 4-2-4 shape
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When Scotland keeper Angus Gunn decided to play long, Ralston lined up as a winger, in a 4-2-4 shape
The Scots could either attempt to play out or hit a long pass which would allow him to win the header against Aebischer
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The Scots could either attempt to play out or hit a long pass which would allow him to win the header against Aebischer
This time Ralston is well placed for any knock down from Adams
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This time Ralston is well placed for any knock down from Adams

Ralston has the edge over Aebischer aerially and even on the occasions when he didn't win flick ons, it was usually no worse than a draw with nearby Scotland players able to pilfer possession up the park.

Alternatively, he would be able to get himself very close to Che Adams for any flick-ons or other crumbs which came from the Southampton striker's aerial challenges.

It was clever tactics from Clarke to give us a foothold in the match.

And for all the calls for James Forrest to start, Ralston's Celtic team-mate would never have been able to win headers against an opponent such as this to give us possession high up the park.

Ralston's heat map shows how often he took an advanced position
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Ralston's heat map shows how often he took an advanced position

It's a similar role to the one which Lee McCulloch served for Walter Smith's Scotland when he lined up in left midfield but allowed us an out ball when we couldn't play out from the back.

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The effectiveness of the tactic suggests that Clarke is likely to go with the same again in Sunday's make or break clash against Hungary.

Go Ballistic - SunSport's new podcast

SUNSPORT is going Ballistic with the launch of our brilliant new podcast.

Every day of the Euros host Roger Hannah will bring you all the latest news and views from the Scotland camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

He will be joined by our men in Germany - Bill Leckie, Robert Grieve and Derek McGregor.

And there will also be special guest appearances from our Euro 2024 columnist Gordon Strachan, regular columnist Kris Boyd and bookie basher Jim Delahunt.

You can watch every episode on our website or our brand new YouTube channel.

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