Steve Clarke’s assessment of Anthony Ralston following the Celtic man’s performance in Scotland’s stalemate against Portugal

Steve Clarke’s assessment on Anthony Ralston following Celtic man stars in Scotland against

Portugal Playing most of Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Portugal in the Nations League, Anthony Ralston was the only Celtic survivor in the Scotland team. Previously, injury caused Greg Taylor and James Forrest to leave the Scotland reckoning, leaving the Lennoxtown graduate to fly the flag for the Bhoys. Following Anthony Ralston’s outstanding performance against Croatia last weekend, the Celtic right-back was given another start against Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota and company, under pressure on the Tartan Army to halt the rot among a subpar run of play.

Steve Clarke discussed what he observed of the Celtic man following his part in a hard-earned point that has brought his side on the board in the Nations League. Steve Clarke offers his opinion on Anthony Ralston of Celtic. Speaking following the game, Clarke praised Ralston for his performance against “difficult opponent,” helping Scotland to secure a much-needed victory until Nicky Devlin replaced him late on in proceedings. He said [Scottish Football Podcast]: “You have to credit everyone defensively. Tony Ralston, great versus challenging opponents.

“Jota and then Leao comes off (the bench), I suppose Leao coming off the bench was what finally done for Tony’s calves. It was the reason Nicky stepped onto the field. Later on, he commented on the more general defensive display Ralston participated in: “I think we always try and do the correct thing, we always strive to be solid defensively. We have lately had one or two little lapses in some crucial game situations that cost you greatly. “Tonight, maybe at times we got a little bit lucky; none can deny us the fortune.” Ralston did start to waver ever so gently towards the end following waves of unrelenting opposition attacks, but he can keep his head high after another great night for his national side.

Tony Ralston had a great evening against Portugal. With Fotmob having Ralston down as completing 31 out of his 38 attempted passes and threading four balls into the final third, stat-trackers mirror Ralston’s excellent performance versus Portugal. Defensively, where he gets his money, the Celtic star finished nine defensive moves—three clearances, two interceptions, three duels—winning four times. Alistair Johnston is still first choice under Brendan Rodgers, but the Irishman knows he has a dependable deputy on reserve who can step in against any degree of opposition and withstand examination. Ralston now returns to Celtic, resolved to leave his mark after more exposure on the global scene.