Here are the talking points from Hampden as the excitement around this new chapter for the national side was stymied somewhat by another disappointing home reverse…
Did shape-shifter Pocognoli get it wrong?
It was understandable perhaps that Pocognoli would go with the same box midfield that worked so well against this opposition in the second half in Ljubljana, but as they did in the Slovenian capital, the Scots started slowly.
Christie and John McGinn were the duo behind Oli McBurnie in attack, but they were virtual spectators in the early stages. Scotland were too slow in the build-up, and the Slovenians looked a real threat on the counter.
Slowly, though, Billy Gilmour – earning his 50th cap – started to get a grip on the midfield. Ben Gannon-Doak started to warm up on the right. And the strangely mute Tartan Army, who seemed to be waiting for the show to start, gradually started to get engaged with the game.
The opener when it came was still slightly generous on the balance of play, but the hope was that with the goal as a platform to build from, Scotland would catch fire in the second half once more.
It didn’t work out that way. Matko hit a deserved equaliser for the visitors, and suddenly, the flip side of playing Gannon-Doak at right wingback was glaringly obvious, and the space he was leaving in that area was being exploited.
The game had swung, and Pocognoli was powerless to reverse the flow.
Defence wide open
Whether it was the system or the personnel, the back three of Scotland looked shaky all evening, and were it not for some last-gasp clearances – one from Jack Hendry off the line and another vital intervention from Andy Robertson as Zan Vipotnik looked certain to score – the Scots would have been behind early on.
What will worry Pocognoli was that it wasn’t taking much to cut his side open. The Slovenian equaliser was the perfect example. Scotland gave the ball away from their own throw through Christie, and two passes later, Matko was in on Angus Gunn, and slipped the ball past him with ease.
Soon after, Hendry got sucked into midfield and a ball over the top gave Slovenia another glaring opportunity that Sturm put over. There was another let off as Matko was flagged offside after tucking under Gunn again, but it was a temporary reprieve, and the Scottish defence was posted missing once more as Sturm was all alone on the end of Matko’s cross to hit home what proved to be the winner.
Kieron Bowie left out as McBurnie goal drought goes on
It probably had something to with a sports scientist muttering something about red zones, but the omission of Bowie – so impressive against North Macedonia on Saturday night – was an eyebrow raiser. Particularly as Pocognoli had spent much of his pre-match presser on Monday urging the Tartan Army to get excited about the striker.
Instead, he opted for the industrious McBurnie up top on his own, and again, he absolutely could not be faulted for effort. The Hull man emptied his tank for the cause, and there was much to admire about his play too, linking the game well and often finding dark blue jerseys with headers he was second favourite to even win in the first place.
The one nagging question around McBurnie remains, though – will he ever actually score for his country? It is now 20 caps without a goal, though he did claim an assist as he reacted first to Hendry’s header off the post to tee up Christie’s opener.
Bowie came on for him midway through the second half with Scotland toiling, and Robbie Ure joined him as Pocognoli went for broke late on, but it all rather fizzled out, with the Slovenians holding on a little too comfortably for the win.
McPake and Curtis make their mark at least
On the plus side, the introduction of Findlay Curtis and Josh McPake on the wings did breathe a bit of life into Scotland, with both making an impact. In fact, both had penalty claims after making direct runs into the box, and both looked decent shouts, particularly the challenge on McPake, with the Slovenian defender catching the back of his calf. Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez waved away the appeals, and his VAR team did not intervene, but at least they provided a spark for Scotland, who were really struggling to get up the park at all before their entrance.
A blow for Pocognoli, but patience will be required
While much of what on view here was alarming from Scotland, the caveat does have to be emphasised that this is still very early days for the Pocognoli project, and that a little short-term pain may need to be suffered for long-term gain.
The Belgian has had an extended international break to get to know his players and vice-versa, but it should be remembered that he is trying to change the entire tactical setup of the Scotland side, and some teething problems are to be expected. And to be fair, we saw plenty of them here.
There was much excitement after the win over a poor North Macedonia side at the weekend, and on reflection, perhaps too much. There have been some encouraging signs over these four games at times, but there is still clearly a long way to go.
The pressing issue now may be that pot three awaits when it comes to the draw for the European Championships qualification campaign comes around.