Scotland Captain Andy Robertson Commends John Souttar’s ‘Vintage Performance’

Scotland’s captain, Andy Robertson, who scored the decisive added-time goal securing the win against Poland, chose to commend the performance of fellow defender John Souttar following the match in Warsaw. John Souttar, aged 28, featured in the final four matches of the Nations League A Group 1 campaign. His participation in the last three of these games contributed to the seven points that elevated Steve Clarke’s team above Poland, thereby offering them an opportunity to retain their A status. Robertson, the 30-year-old Liverpool player, commented on the Rangers centre-back, stating: “He’s been unbelievable in this Nation’s League. Especially the last four games, I think he’s been different class.” Robertson further added, “He’s showed his quality and it was disappointing for him, I know how much it hurt him not getting picked for the Euros, some people will maybe think, ‘okay that’s my Scotland career over’ or whatever – not John.” He concluded, “John worked so hard and he’s playing well for Rangers and he’s also doing unbelievable for Scotland.” This video can not be played ‘Goal has been a long time coming’ – Robertson Souttar, who previously played for Dundee United, has experienced a career marked by significant injuries during his tenures at Hearts and Rangers. However, the defender has now established himself as a consistent starter for both Rangers and the Scotland national team. Robertson, whose header secured the 2-1 victory, further commented: “I’ve seen him grow from a very young age and it’s unbelievable to see and tonight was just another vintage performance by him and he’s grown into the shirt.” He added, “He’s obviously had a really tough time with injuries over the years and things like that and he’s getting a run of fitness now and long may that continue because he’s a massive player for Scotland.” Souttar reciprocated the commendation towards his international captain, remarking: “It’s an unbelievable header from Rob – on his 80th cap, so yeah it was a great moment for him.” He continued, “Obviously the game was very end to end, they had spells, we had spells. We passed the ball well, we got in good areas and yeah, it’s an excellent end to the campaign. It was a good feeling. “It’s small margins, small things have to go your way, and in the last three games they have.” Souttar further elaborated on the team’s strategy: “With the quality of player we have, we need to get them on the ball. The midfield, the attackers, even the ones coming off the bench, there’s some really high quality players.” He concluded, “We’ve tried to dominate the ball more in this campaign, we’ve passed the ball more, which is obviously tough, the level of opposition is top, so the more we get the boys who are high quality on the ball the better we will be.” The draw for the promotion and relegation play-offs is scheduled for Friday, with Austria and Greece identified as two potential opponents for Scotland in March. “The last two results we’ve got to enjoy it,” Souttar added, referring to Friday’s home victory against Croatia. He further stated, “It’s tough playing at this level, the top league of international football, so the boys have got to enjoy the moment and we look forward to March.”