Hendry key to five-man defence against Brazil?

Scotland could afford to play four at the back against Brazil on Wednesday if they had “two Jack Hendrys”, suggests football analyst and coach John Walker.

The fact they don’t means they should play a five-man defence in their final Group C game at the World Cup.

Advertisement

“Jack Hendry’s one of those defenders that I think people just keep sleeping on because we’ve not seen him since he was at Celtic really,” Walker told the BBC Scottish Football Podcast. “We don’t watch the Saudi league [where he plays for Al-Ettifaq]. We definitely didn’t watch a lot of him in Belgium.

“Jack Hendry’s really impressed me. If we had another Jack Hendry, I’d be more confident you could play a back four. You could play a high line because he’s got a bit of speed behind him. He’s very good on the ball.

“Him in that back four, he’s really stood out as being somebody that can do bits of everything in defending.”

Because “we still don’t have world-class centre-halves”, it limits Scotland’s ability to be “expansive” as then “you’ve opened up Grant Hanley to high lines and counter-attacks – and that’s not his strength either”.

Advertisement

Indeed, Walker would go for John Souttar or Scott McKenna to partner Hendry and Kieran Tierney in central defence, with Aaron Hickey, if fit, and Andy Robertson as wing-backs.

He points out that Brazil scored against Haiti with balls in behind, while Morocco did likewise against Scotland.

“I just don’t think we have the the capability and players,” Walker added. “We’ve got one or two, but I don’t think we can go play a high line and not be exposed.

“I don’t think we can go press high and not be exposed. I don’t think we’ve got the pace to then overturn Brazilian transition either.”