Sébastien Pocognoli winced on Friday as he reflected on his first appearance for Belgium. Alessandro del Piero and Italy had enjoyed accommodating opponents while preparing for the 2006 World Cup. In time, Pocognoli may also remember his managerial debut with Scotland fondly. Beneath clear skies in a compact Ljubljana stadium, his side produced an encouraging second-half performance that offered hope for the post-Steve Clarke era. A forgettable opening 45 minutes could be attributed to the squad adjusting to a new system. By the final whistle, Slovenia were relieved to have secured a draw, while the Scottish players deservedly received warm applause.
Scotland were once again undermined by a familiar problem. A shortage of goals had also troubled Clarke’s team. Even so, this new-look side created several promising opportunities. Scott McTominay, one of their most important attacking players, was unavailable. Teaching a team to be clinical is difficult, but Pocognoli has shown he possesses the coaching ability to address that weakness. Based on this display, Slovenia appear to face even greater concerns.
“The mood in the dressing room is positive because of how we performed after half-time,” Pocognoli said. “We should have found the net, but I am extremely pleased with the strikers’ overall contribution. We were only missing the finishing touches.” The manager remained optimistic.
Scotland’s defeat by Brazil 94 days earlier had effectively ended their World Cup ambitions. Clarke stepped down once elimination was confirmed. Players and fans appeared torn between gratitude for the progress made during his tenure and excitement about a fresh start. In Slovenia, the 39-year-old Pocognoli experienced international management for the first time. The hosts had also failed to qualify for the World Cup, and the many vacant seats reflected the country’s lack of confidence in its footballing future. Benjamin Sesko’s absence further weakened a Slovenia team already struggling to score.
Scotland had few reasons to complain about their preparation. Before the Nations League fixture, Pocognoli took his players and a sizeable support staff to La Manga for a training camp. Embracing the sense of change, he selected an unfamiliar strike partnership. Robbie Ure earned his first international appearance, while Oli McBurnie returned after a lengthy absence. The first half demonstrated, however, that fielding two forwards achieves little when they receive almost no useful service.
Scotland were dreadful before the interval. Their play lacked urgency, creativity and direction. Although the players looked organised without possession, they became nervous whenever they had the ball. Slovenia were hardly impressive themselves, but they should have taken greater advantage of Scotland’s weaknesses. Pocognoli deserves credit for his half-time intervention, which produced an immediate response.
Andraz Sporar found the net for Slovenia in the eighth minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside. After excellent work by Danijel Sturm, Sporar then wasted a clear chance from six yards. The travelling supporters groaned when Aljosa Matko sent an effort wide of Angus Gunn’s goal. Apart from a 20-yard Ure strike that brushed the outside of the post, Scotland offered virtually nothing in attack. Their disjointed display was summed up when Billy Gilmour overhit a pass intended for the advancing Andy Robertson and sent the ball out of play.
McBurnie should have celebrated his Scotland comeback with a goal less than five minutes after the restart. Instead of driving the ball beyond Jan Oblak, the Hull City forward attempted to dribble around him. Even while on the ground, Oblak stretched out an arm and took the ball away from McBurnie’s feet. That moment sparked a Scottish revival. Gilmour tested the goalkeeper after exchanging passes with McBurnie, while Aaron Hickey narrowly failed to guide John McGinn’s corner towards goal. Oblak then reacted quickly to stop substitute Kieron Bowie before denying McBurnie from the following corner. Scotland’s second-half performance was a dramatic improvement. McBurnie later admitted that his missed chances would keep him awake. He remains without a goal after 17 international appearances.
Bowie produced the worst miss of the match with 12 minutes remaining after the increasingly influential Gilmour created the opportunity. With Scotland in control, Pocognoli made an adventurous change by replacing Hickey with Ben Gannon-Doak, effectively exchanging a full-back for a winger.
Scotland continued to press with determination, but Slovenia resisted until the end. Pocognoli greeted the final whistle with an approving nod. His next assignment will be his first match at Hampden Park, where Scotland face Switzerland.
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