Scotland are staring at a third-place finish in Group B1 of the Nations League, which will have repercussions for their seeding in Euro 2028 qualifying. More striking, though, was the general standard of performance over Sébastien Pocognoli’s first four games as manager. Scotland were dismal for a half in Slovenia before a decent but scoreless recovery.
They capitulated after an early sending-off against Switzerland, failing to register a shot on target in a meek 3-0 loss. North Macedonia were as poor an international team as Scotland have faced in recent times, rendering the 2-0 win in Skopje worthy of little more than a shoulder shrug. Pocognoli’s men rounded off this extended window by being played off the Hampden Park pitch by Slovenia.
Andy Robertson, the captain, strikingly questioned the attitude of his teammates. There has been no new manager bounce. Pocognoli was given only a two-year contract, which was odd given the pedestal he was placed on by the Scottish Football Association when hired in August.
The likelihood remains host-nation status will secure the Scots a place in the next Euros, but the country cannot arrive at the event under the cover of darkness. The alarming nature of the performance against Slovenia – it really had no redeeming qualities – places a huge emphasis on November’s fixtures. It does not look that way.
The manager deploys a three-man backline as routine, with an emphasis on pressing high and wingbacks being crucial to attacking phases. Scotland do not have an obvious two-man central defensive pairing, meaning they most definitely struggle when the number is increased by one. Time and again, they leave far too much space in behind and look woefully exposed.
Counterattacks bypass Scotland’s midfield all too easily. Pocognoli’s Scotland are a dream to play against. Success for the Scots under Steve Clarke came from being well-drilled, compact and difficult to beat.
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