Sebastien Pocognoli and Scotland facing unprecedented challenge as club frustrations addressed

The Scots’ well documented inability to reach the second stage of a major tournament, exhibited most recently in the United States this summer, means the national team have never had to play four competitive matches in an 11-day spell before. Not in the Home Nations Championship and certainly not in the World Cup or European Championships. More’s the pity.

Tuesday’s home clash with Slovenia is therefore historic as well as challenging, the equivalent of a knockout game at the rarefied level Scotland are still dreaming about reaching: a last 32 clash in the World Cup or last 16 in the Euros.

Four points from their first three Nations League games of this window – against Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia - is knockout stage qualifying form. Granted, they would not be playing the same opponents again if it really was a World Cup or Euros.

But it’s an otherwise very similar set of circumstances. Intense is the word. And while Scotland have faced hectic schedules before – they once played nine matches in 29 days on a world tour in 1967, which were retrospectively recognised as official games—this is an unprecedented test Pocognoli is dealing with so early in his tenure.

In many ways, it is a pleasant problem to have. “It is a long four weeks,” he admitted. “It is needed. The first week in Spain (at a warm-weather training camp) was gold. It was my job to make every second of that camp count.”

He understands why not everyone is thrilled with Fifa's new schedule. Craig Bellamy, the Wales manager, believes that squeezing so many games into a relatively short period disadvantages smaller nations. This is a particular issue if the smaller nation is sitting at the top table, like Wales are following their promotion to League A of the Nations League.

Scotland, by contrast, can have fewer complaints against teams such as North Macedonia, ranked 71, and Slovenia, who are 56. Pocognoli was also desperate to spend time with his new players.

“I can imagine the coach of Switzerland, who just finished the World Cup with the same group of players, sees it differently!” he smiled. “But I have been really happy.”

He’s also sympathetic to the views of club fans, many of whom are now impatient for the domestic season to resume. That much was clear from the hullabaloo over Celtic beating Rangers to lift the Tennent’s Sixes.

“I understand some supporters also want the international break to end,” he said. “It was the same when I was a coach in club football.

“I hated the breaks in September, October and November because sometimes you had a good flow -and then the break. You had players who travelled to the other side of the world.

“The next window will be really short, though, in November. But I can imagine the gaffers at clubs want to get their players back on the pitch. But I feel like the players have enjoyed being away.”

The 2-0 win over North Macedonia on Saturday night helped change the complexion of things. Pocognoli avoided making unwanted history on Saturday when, with the clock firmly on them, Scotland scored after just eight minutes against Macedonia to end a goal drought that had extended to 459 minutes by that point. Another 18 or so minutes and it would have exceeded the all-time worst run of 477 minutes from 1970-71.

As Pocognoli noted more than once in the run-up to the weekend’s game, the threat Scotland could reach such a seeming nadir was not solely on him. He had only been in charge for two of the four goalless games, including one where Scotland, owing to an early red card, were more concerned about keeping the opposition out than scoring at the other end. Nevertheless, relief abounded when Kieron Bowie hit an unstoppable shot from 25 yards to put Scotland one up in Skopje.

It set the Scots on the way to a maiden victory under Pocognoli and their first of this most recent Nations League campaign, already three games old. If it feels like Scotland have only just played Slovenia that’s because they have only just played them: the weekend before last.

In the interim, the Scots have also played Switzerland - the aforementioned backs-against-the wall game – and North Macedonia, where they were again reduced to ten men. Mercifully the repercussions were not so dire this time and Pocognoli’s team, already two goals to the good, were able to see out the remaining ten or so minutes with limited alarm. “I hope we can finish with eleven men,” he noted slightly grimly on Monday.

Which brings us, with enthusiasm perhaps understandably waning, to Slovenia: the re-match. Pocognoli has only just got here and yet he’s already set to chalk up a fourth match in charge. When the final whistle blows on Tuesday night, he’ll have reached nearly 5 per cent of predecessor Steve Clarke’s 81-match total already.

In many ways, it is Pocognoli’s real Hampden bow. Last week’s home debut against Switzerland was torpedoed by Jack Hendry’s early bath.

“It is like everybody is excited and then you have an off day,” he reflected. “We knew what we wanted the show to be, but it didn’t happen.”

He’s confident Scotland can present a better version of themselves against the Slovenians. Rangers winger Findlay Curtis has been recalled from the Under-21s to provide extra manpower.

“It is about putting on a show, exactly,” he said, when reminded of his earlier comment. “This is what I said before North Macedonia, that the excitement we had before the Switzerland game had to stay for that game, because excitement makes you alive. Tomorrow, it has to be the same.”