Kai Watson: A REALLY tough start for Sebastien Pocognoli
Last week I wrote that it had been a tough start for Sebastien Pocognoli, which it absolutely had been. Slovenia away is a tough venue and the performance in the second half was probably deserving of a win. That wasn’t the case though as it finished 0-0.
Then came the game against Switzerland and that felt like it was over within the first ten minutes. A moment of madness from Jack Hendry ended in him being red carded then Ricardo Rodriguez scoring from the resulting free-kick where Angus Gunn potentially could have done better.
It was an uphill battle from there and even with all the endeavour in the world, Scotland never really looked like scoring. Switzerland added a second ten minutes after half-time through a smart Elvedi finish and Amdouni sealed the 3-0 victory with eight minutes left, although it’s another shot that I think Gunn will have been disappointed to concede.
It’s hard to judge a manager after only two games, one where the majority was played with ten men but there were plenty of encouraging signs from the second half in Slovenia.
After the first couple of games Scotland sat third in the group and travelled to North Macedonia last Saturday. Instead of the game being over in the first ten minutes Pocognoli’s side put themselves in an incredibly good position when Kieron Bowie fired in a low driven effort from 25-yards out.
Not a bad way to open your international account.
Scotland completely dominated the proceedings and really should have gone in more than one goal up at half-time. The dominance continued into the second half, Gannon-Doak thought he had won a penalty but VAR overturned that decision.
Then after a scramble in the box, Bojan Miovski was adjudged to have handled the ball just before the 70th minute, John McGinn stepped up and slotted away his 22nd international goal. The lead could not be added to and, for the second game in a row, a central defender was red carded as Scott McKenna was given a straight red after sliding in attempting to retrieve a poor Andy Robertson pass.
The game would end 2-0 despite some late North Macedonia pressure and Pocognoli picked up his first win.
Whether it's the title race or the fight to avoid the drop, the Scottish Premiership delivers betting interest right through the season - compare our top betting sites and check today's free bet offers before kick-off.
Then a reality check.
Slovenia went to Hampden for the return fixture and started really well in the first 15 minutes. Then the home side settled into the game and after the ball bouncing around the box, Ryan Christie eventually backheeled the ball in to make it 1-0.
Scotland also started the second half well but some poor decision making in the final third meant it remained 1-0 until the 56th minute when Matko slotted home with his left foot.
The turnaround was complete 15 minutes later when the goalscorer broke away down the right and returned the favour to Sturm who calmly finished to make it 2-1. From then it was all Slovenia until Scotland brought on Bowie, Curtis and McPake.
Apart from a couple of penalty shouts, Scotland didn’t really create anything despite looking more threatening after the subs. A really disappointing night at Hampden and a poor note to end on for Pocognoli.
What have you thought of his first four games in charge?
Nations League Odds
Check out the latest Nations League odds below from the top football betting sites.
More Scottish Football
We cover the biggest news and talking points from across Scotland - dive into our latest Scottish football articles below.
