Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has made clear he wants the team to make Scott McTominay shine, rather than relying on the Napoli midfielder to carry the side, as the star returns for the upcoming Nations League matches.
McTominay is back in the Scotland squad after undergoing minor heart surgery that kept him out of the last international break. Pocognoli, who took over from Steve Clarke, has been eager to bring the former Manchester United player back into the fold, having only communicated with him by phone and video calls until now.
Pocognoli's vision for McTominay
Speaking ahead of the Nations League games against North Macedonia at Hampden and Switzerland in St Gallen, Pocognoli outlined his approach. He said: "Scott will bring experience, quality, an expectation of goals, a presence in the box - and he'll bring leadership as part of the captain's group."
Pocognoli added: "He has a strong voice and he's a different character to the others. But it's up to me to find a game plan for him and the players which allows him to shine. It's not for him to make the team shine, if you know what I mean? That's the challenge. This was a big reflection for me. To try and reduce the expectation here on two or three players."
Reducing expectation on key players
The manager acknowledged the natural tendency for supporters to expect McTominay, John McGinn, and Andy Robertson to be game-changers. He said: "The first thing is, why? When you have players who have made the difference in most of the games through individual actions or a situation from nowhere - it's normal that people then expect them to do it in every game."
Pocognoli emphasised the collective approach: "But for me, it's about giving everyone the chance to shine as a collective. That will maybe decrease the expectation of one or two players. That's something I'd like to try to do." He also noted McTominay's past experiences: "It's normal that people expect Scott to always be the best, if that's what he's had to deal with in the past. In the World Cup, it was less because the structure around him was less. But expectation was still big on him, it didn't matter. It's up to me to have a good structure around him so he can shine but not only him - all of the players."
McTominay's return and readiness
McTominay was among the first players Pocognoli called after taking the job, alongside Robertson and McGinn. Despite the option to let him rest in Italy until the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign begins in March, Pocognoli wanted him in the squad now to gauge his influence on the group.
Pocognoli said: "I just want to know him a little bit more, from the personal aspect. We all know his quality and I think he can fit into the way we want to play." He added: "So I'm excited to see him on the pitch, to see if he can bring something extra. Also, to see how fits into the group with my own eyes. I want to make a real contact with him because before it has only been on the phone or by video call."
The manager expressed confidence in McTominay's fitness: "He's a big player. He's a very complete player on the pitch. Scott is good on the ball, he can infiltrate without the ball. He can press high on the pitch or he can be box-to-box. It's a massive boost for us. My job is to combine his quality with other players around him and I think we will. I've watched most of his games. His first game back was difficult in the last 20 or 30 minutes which was normal. After that, he started to find his way again. He's now ready."
Pocognoli noted McTominay's hunger: "He's scored goals playing in a similar shape as us at Scotland. So yeah (he's hungry). He was really disappointed to miss the first camp and was already talking about the next camp. At that point we weren't sure because we had to see his rehabilitation. But he was excited to try his best to reach the November camp and he's still excited now, which is good."
Pocognoli's reflection on first camp
Pocognoli admitted his first period as Scotland boss was emotionally draining, with four games in quick succession and disappointing Hampden results against Switzerland and Slovenia. He said: "It was a tough camp, an intense camp - but I really liked it. I needed to get to know everybody, 50 or 60 new faces."
He added: "After the games, I needed a little bit of rest and to refuel. But after one week, I was already back here (in Glasgow) for a review with the staff and SFA board. You always make the job what you want it to be. If you want to make it a big job, it's a big job. If you want to come just two days before the squad announcement it's an easy job. But I'm not only here for the games. I want to have an impact in terms of refreshing the team and changing the way we play."
Pocognoli concluded: "It's a long process and it needs me to be here more than maybe the head coach from another national team. That's the job I like. It's a commitment. That club dynamic? It's up to me to bring it. I'm looking forward to what's next and having a good Euros (campaign)."
