Sebastien Pocognoli admits Scotland were cruelly exposed by Slovenia but is adamant his side is on the right track. He suffered his second Hampden loss in a row in the Nations League with a sobering 2-1 defeat. It left the Scots struggling to finish second in the table and secure a Pot 2 ranking in next year’s Euro 2028 qualifiers.
Defensive frailties exposed
New gaffer Pocognoli says his team got what they deserved against the Slovenians. But he refused to be too critical of his players and believes they will get to where he wants them to go. After Ryan Christie had put Scotland in front, Pocognoli’s game-plan was ripped to shreds by Bostjan Cesar’s side. Goals from Aljosa Matko and Danijel Sturm secured three vital points for the visitors.
Afterwards, Pocognoli was philosophical in defeat. He said: “We were not good enough in the defensive aspect today. We were exposed. The compactness from the front line was really open. And then it was like a domino effect and everybody was out of position. We were not strong enough to be on front foot and that's something that we have to analyse and do better for the next camp.
Disappointment and foundations
“For me, the intensity of the duels was a big difference tonight. I need to analyse why we were so passive. Is it a structure problem, a physical problem, an intensity problem, or a back line problem? We will analyse this. I try to be objective about the game. We didn’t play the game that we wanted to deliver. We were not at the level that we expected to be on the ball, but also off the ball.
“So we have a feeling of disappointment, 100%. But on the other side, we look back to what we delivered to the camp, which can give us some strong foundations for the future. Today, I don't think we deserved to get more than what we got. Slovenia played a good game and we were not at the level. But overall, I think we are on track. Maybe on the ranking aspect, we are disappointed. But the job we delivered with the staff, the players, and some moments during the four games - was positive.
“Today was not what we expected. The Macedonia game was good. But I was also really clear that not everything would be perfect against maybe a stronger opponent. And today we didn't show enough.”
Home support and remaining games
Pocognoli’s first game at Hampden was a non-event after Scotland were reduced to 10 men early and lost heavily to group favourites Switzerland. He wanted to put that right against Slovenia but when they scored their second goal, there was a chorus of boos from the Tartan Army. The new gaffer knows it’s not the start they hoped for at home but he’s convinced they can still put it right. And he’s not about to give up on second place in their Nations League group just yet.
Scotland play North Macedonia and the Swiss next month in their final two games. And Pocognoli said: “I’m always stable about winning a game or losing a game. I wasn’t flying when we won in Macedonia and I’m not too negative about this last game. The supporters have had two games at home that have left them with a feeling of disappointment. We need to make sure in the next one at home against North Macedonia we produce something better. We will do our best to deliver that.
“They are passionate. They want to see goals and they want to see chances. They saw that in the two away games but we also have to deliver that at home. I said when we started the Nations League we wanted to be ambitious and strong in terms of the ranking. There are still two games to go. Slovenia is now leading us in second place. So we need to get six points out of six and hope Slovenia lose some points. We are not in a comfortable situation to fight for this. We just have to try to take maximum points.”
