Sebastien Pocognoli admits 'positive nervousness' ahead of Scotland debut in Slovenia
September 23, 2026 14:20
Sebastien Pocognoli has described a sense of "positive nervousness" ahead of his first match as Scotland head coach, a Nations League fixture against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday. The Belgian, appointed in August, replaces Steve Clarke following Scotland's exit at the group stages of the World Cup.
SQUAD AND CAMP
Scotland are training at a warm-weather camp in La Manga, Spain, with a squad that Pocognoli admits is "much-changed." He has selected a number of young players, including 19-year-old James Wilson; four 20-year-olds — Findlay Curtis, Ben Gannon-Doak, Lennon Miller and Colby Donovan — and three players aged 22: Kristi Montgomery, Luke Graham and Robbie Ure. With Blackburn's Kristi Montgomery called up to replace the injured Kenny McLean, the squad now contains eight uncapped players.
HOW POCOGNOLI WANTS TO PLAY
Pocognoli says he already knows his team and formation for the Slovenia game but is not fixed to a single system, noting that three at the back has been a staple of his coaching to this point. He described his style as focused on "aggressive pressing and fast tempo" and emphasised collective traits he wants immediately: personality, a unit who "fight for each other," attacking together, squeezing the pitch and attempting to "regain the ball as quickly as possible."
TRANSITION FROM CLARKE
Pocognoli revealed he had "a nice meeting on the phone" with his predecessor Steve Clarke, who he said was "very kind, very... humble" and supportive of the team. Pocognoli added: "I will try to be as successful as the previous staff because we want to play in a big tournament."
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Scotland begin a run of four Nations League matches across 11 days: Slovenia in Ljubljana, Switzerland at Hampden, a fixture in North Macedonia, followed by a return meeting with Slovenia in Glasgow. Pocognoli expects a degree of rotation across the congested schedule.