Sometimes luck can be the difference between success and failure as a manager and Sebastien Pocognoli appears to have it with him for his first Scotland squad - at least before a ball is kicked. Scott McTominay was obviously a notable miss from the new head coach's original selection, the 29-year-old Napoli midfielder having to undergo what he described as minor heart surgery that should only keep him sidelined for a few weeks. Rangers' Lawrence Shankland and Torino's Che Adams are also absentees from the front line options through injury.
But, of the 28 players named in Pocognoli's extended squad for Scotland's opening four Nations League fixtures, none have so far pulled out through injury, so how are they shaping up after their final round of club games? Xhaka under investigation over Covid-19 certificate Rangers beat Celtic again thanks to Naderi goal Scottish Football Podcast: Belief is back for Rangers as Celtic in turmoil The goalkeeping position was a problem for some time under predecessor Steve Clarke, exacerbated by 84-cap Craig Gordon coming to the end of his career and with playing time often limited for the alternatives. But current first-choice Angus Gunn is now a regular starter with San Jose Earthquakes after his summer switch from Nottingham Forest.
Scott Bain is also performing well for Falkirk, while Jon McCracken has helped Bradford City to the top of League One after his move from Dundee, making Rangers' Liam Kelly the only goalkeeper not playing for his club. The absence of Shankland and Adams gave Pocognoli the opportunity to give bring in some fresh blood among the forwards and the recalled Oli McBurnie continues to start for Hull City on their return to the Premier League. Meanwhile, Robbie Ure was back in the starting line-up for new club Sevilla as they lost 3-1 to La Liga leaders Barcelona on Saturday, while James Wilson has cemented a first-team place since returning to Heart of Midlothian from his loan to Tottenham Hotspur.
In saying that, striker Kieron Bowie and wingers Findlay Curtis and Ben Gannon-Doak had to make do with being substitutes over the weekend for Sassuolo, Rangers and Bournemouth respectively. While 19-year-old Gannon-Doak's continued lack of minutes is not ideal considering he has proved to be a key provider of pace to Scotland's play, club-mate Ryan Christie will have received a boost by being handed only his second start of the season, albeit the midfielder came off after 75 minutes of a 1-0 home defeat by Liverpool. Indeed, all seven of Pocognoli's central midfield options started this weekend.
That includes Lennon Miller in Udinese's 1-0 home defeat by Cagliari, while also in Serie A, Billy Gilmour scored only his second senior goal with a fine strike in Napoli's 1-1 draw away to Fiorentina, as well as being named man of the match. Meanwhile, Lewis Ferguson is back starting every game as Bologna captain, including their 1-1 draw with Torino. For the visitors, Nathan Patterson made his second appearance as a substitute since his loan move from Everton as right-back continues to be a problem area for Scotland.
Aaron Hickey also had to make do with coming off the bench in Brentford's fine 3-0 win over Chelsea. Colby Donovan did start again for, albeit as the Scottish champions suffered a third straight defeat, while all three left-backs - club-mate Kieran Tierney, Tottenham Hotspur's Andy Robertson and Sassuolo's Josh Doig suffered losses after starting. Only Scott McKenna - an unused sub as Croatian league leaders Dinamo Zagreb beat Lokomotiva - did not play in his club side's latest game among Pocognoli's defensive options.
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