Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli faces pressing goalkeeping dilemmas and fresh squad selections ahead of his debut fixtures, balancing rising young talents like Robbie Ure against the departure of veterans and a challenging start in the Nations League B campaign.
Goalkeeping Questions Loom for Pocognoli’s New Era
A problem area for the latter years of Clarke’s reign will remain a problem area in the early Pocognoli days.
Gunn was joined at the major tournament by Craig Gordon, who has since retired from football, and Liam Kelly, who has not featured since Derek McInnes took over at Rangers in the summer, suggesting there could be two goalkeeping spots up for grabs in this squad. Scott Bain could have felt a little hard done by not making the trip across the pond in June, given he was playing regular Scottish Premiership football with Falkirk and picked up his fourth cap against Ivory Coast in April.
He has made a steady start to his season, recovering from an error against Celtic to pull off a string of impressive saves against Dundee United, with his Bairns boss John McGlynn recently tipping him to start for Scotland later this month. Meanwhile, Liam McFarlane may not be challenging him for a starting berth, but the 21-year-old must be well-placed for a call-up as the third-choice shotstopper. Since joining Partick Thistle in the summer on loan from Hearts, after being stateside as the training goalkeeper in Clarke’s World Cup squad, he has conceded just one goal in five Championship games and is well thought of by both club and country.
Given the sticky situation the Scots have found themselves in this department in recent times, surely including the youngster sooner rather than later with a look to the future is a step in the right direction.
Fresh Faces and the Belgian’s Squad Strategy
Since Pocognoli was announced as Clarke’s successor—following the former Kilmarnock manager’s resignation after the Scots failed to qualify for the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time—the expectation has been that the Belgian will look to freshen up an ageing squad. His countryman, Heart of Midlothian head coach Wouter Vrancken, expressed confidence that there will also be a few players from the Gorgie club included in the setup.
Front three players striker James Wilson and wingers Calvin Miller and Josh McPake have been receiving plaudits for their recent performances. Former Scotland captain Scott Brown too has high hopes for the Hearts wingers who have heavily contributed to their side’s strong start to the season.
Nations League Schedule and Immediate Tests
Pocognoli will take charge of Scotland for the first time on Saturday, 26 September in the Scots’ Nations League B opener against Slovenia. His debut in the Hampden dugout will follow three days later against Switzerland.
