Scotland travel to North Macedonia on Saturday for a Nations League fixture at the Nacionalna Arena Toše Proeski in Skopje, still searching for a first win under new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. The Belgian’s opening two games have produced one point and no goals, and a home debut against Switzerland was hampered by an early red card as a 10-man Scotland were outclassed at Hampden. The match, a 19:45 BST kick-off, is live on the BBC.
Pocognoli might have hoped to learn more about his squad by now, but little was gained from the Switzerland defeat. With Jack Hendry suspended following his red card, the head coach faces several selection calls as he tries to break his duck.
Goalkeeper Angus Gunn is under scrutiny after conceding three against Switzerland. The 30-year-old, Steve Clarke’s number one at the World Cup, has been with San Jose Earthquakes and has conceded 23 goals in 11 games at his new club, a poor run that carried into international duty. Pundit Andy Halliday described Ricardo Rodriguez’s opener as “shoulder height [with] not a lot of pace” and said Gunn’s failure to keep it out was “so poor”. The goalkeeper also did not cover himself in glory for Zeki Amdouni’s third, which went through him. Gunn admitted he would “probably be disappointed” when reviewing the goals and said: “They were good strikes, but as a goalkeeper, I’m always disappointed when I concede a goal. I’ll look back and see what I could have done better and get better for the next game.” A change is possible, though the alternatives are limited: Scott Bain is with Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership, Jon McCracken is with Bradford in League One, and Liam Kelly has been confined to the Rangers bench this season. Pocognoli, however, has already shown willingness to make bold calls, handing out three debuts in two games.
Defence may be clearer. Stephen Welsh, a substitute against Switzerland, is pushing to start. The Swansea City defender impressed on his debut in Slovenia on the left of a back three, then might have felt aggrieved to drop to the bench as Luis Binks was handed a debut. Hendry’s red card forced a reshuffle, and Welsh returned on the right and performed admirably. The former Celtic and Motherwell man is vocal, versatile and comfortable carrying the ball, traits that suit Pocognoli’s style. With Hendry suspended, Welsh’s unexpected home debut should help him back into the starting line-up.
Further forward, Ben Gannon-Doak’s role is a talking point. The winger has yet to start under Pocognoli but has made a notable impact as a substitute in both matches. Halliday said he would be “shocked” if the Bournemouth player did not start against Group B1’s bottom side. The problem is fitting him into the 3-4-1-2 system, with wing-back the most likely option; however, his defensive instincts are not the same as those of Aaron Hickey or Nathan Patterson. Pocognoli has said he is flexible but has yet to show it in his shape, so this could be the game to try Gannon-Doak at wing-back.
John McGinn is another major decision. The Aston Villa captain and Scotland vice-captain won a bounty of fouls against Switzerland and improved in the second half at the Stozice Arena, but he is still not reaching the levels he shows at club level. Pocognoli needs more from a player approaching a century of caps – McGinn is on 91. His ability to create a moment of magic and drive the team forward makes him difficult to drop, even if he has not delivered a big performance for his country in a while. His name has also been part of the debate over whether the system suits Scotland.
Up front, Kieron Bowie could get another chance to start. The Sassuolo striker was sacrificed just over 10 minutes into his first Scotland start to make space for Welsh in defence. His partnership with Oli McBurnie showed promise during their roughly 20 minutes together in Slovenia, but there was little time to build on it against Switzerland. McBurnie, five years after his last international involvement, has quashed any concerns about his appetite with a commendable work-rate as a largely solo striker, holding the ball up and hauling his team forward. Bowie’s presence for the flurry of flick-ons he won in the first half might have helped.
The bigger issue remains scoring. Scotland have now gone four games without a goal and are just 25 minutes away from setting a new unwanted record for failing to score. In 1970-71, they went 447 minutes without finding the net; it has been 422 minutes since McGinn’s deflected strike against Haiti in Boston. If there is ever a time to end that run, Saturday in Skopje would be it.