Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has admitted he is still trying to solve the "puzzle" of how to improve on the work of his predecessor Steve Clarke, as doubts grow over his early reign.
Speaking ahead of Monday's Nations League clash with Switzerland in St Gallen, Pocognoli acknowledged the team's struggles, saying: "Maybe we should have already qualified. If we had scored in Slovenia with the chances we had."
Early struggles under Pocognoli
Friday's 2-1 home win over North Macedonia was described as a "scratchy" and "dreary" affair, with Scotland taking an age to break through a flimsy opposition defence. John McGinn opened the scoring, but Scotland conceded an equaliser - the first Macedonian goal in a year - before McGinn regathered his composure to win it from the penalty spot.
The first five games of Pocognoli's reboot have produced little worth remembering, and the Belgian's explanations for the team's performances have done little to convince. His use of the word "puzzle" adds weight to the suspicion that he is still at the grasping stages, unsure of how to take Clarke's work and improve upon it as he promised in the job interview.
Defending the system
Pocognoli says he is not ideologically welded to a three-at-the-back formation but shows no sign of willingness to stray from it. He defended the system, saying: "I have really scanned the quality of the squad and I believe we have the quality to play like this.
"I believe that Luke Graham can be important to the defence. I believe that Kieran Tierney can be good in that position. I believe that Ryan Porteous is helpful for how we want to play because he is on the front foot."
He added: "I believe the box can work, but we need speed if we want to use the box. We have that with Ben Gannon-Doak, but we don't have that unlimited specific quality. It is up to me to find the best way to play."
Looking ahead to Switzerland
Pocognoli acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead against runaway group winners Switzerland, saying: "We are still alive in this competition. We know we have to do more than this competition. This competition is about trying to build something.
"But it is nice to have that possibility on Monday to try to create something against one of the top 20 teams in the world. We need to try to be brave. Switzerland have already qualified so let's go there and be smart because they are a good team."
He also reflected on the team's second-half drop-off against North Macedonia, saying: "They produced a lot of effort in the game so when they scored they were delighted to get a goal. Maybe they thought they could rest a little bit at that stage.
"If you score a second goal or a third goal then it gives you two or three minutes where you can manage the game. We are not that far yet where we can go in that situation. I hope that one day we can do that, but right now we are not that far. We need to concentrate and get the players to give more energy at the right moments in the game."
A win away to Switzerland would be a game-changer, offering the slim hope of second place and a pop at the promotion play-offs. Anything less than a shock away win will see Scotland boxed into an unimpressive third-place finish.
