Scotland’s Nations League hopes took a serious hit at Hampden on Tuesday as Sebastien Pocognoli’s side were beaten 2-1 by Slovenia. The defeat leaves the new head coach still searching for his first home win, and the manner of the performance raised a series of uncomfortable questions about a team that had been building positive momentum. Pocognoli said afterwards that Scotland did not deserve to win.
Pocognoli arrived as a disciple of a back three, and the question before the match was whether he would be rigid or flexible in his approach. He did change formation and personnel, but only after Slovenia had taken a deserved 2-1 lead. At 1-1 and then behind, he threw on strikers and wingers in a desperate, indiscriminate attempt to salvage a point. Scotland never got out of the blocks and got what they deserved.
The warning signs came early. In the 13th minute Slovenia got in behind and Adam Cerin’s shot had to be blocked by Jack Hendry. The visitors moved the ball into the space Scotland afforded them and Hampden fell deathly quiet. Ryan Christie’s goal briefly stirred the crowd, but the stadium soon slipped back into a slumber. Andy Robertson had to make a lung-busting block to deny Zan Vipotnik after Hendry was caught dozing, and the defensive problems were plain: a back three badly exposed, huge gaps out wide and through the middle, and a lauded midfield that looked overrun. Seconds into the second half, Slovenia went straight through the middle again. They were clever and creative and should have won by more.
Slovenia’s equaliser, scored by Aljosa Matko, began with a Scotland throw-in. Three minutes later Danijel Sturm had a chance that should have made it 2-1 after Ben Gannon-Doak stayed miles up the pitch, oblivious to the danger. Angus Gunn did not cover himself in glory either. A goal that was thought to have made it 2-1 was correctly disallowed for offside, but the build-up was more of the same: before Matko beat Gunn, Slovenia won one aerial duel and then another. The second goal arrived as many suspected it would. Matko went down the right and squared for Sturm. Luis Binks was caught this time. It was soft.
The ramifications could stretch beyond a cold Tuesday night in Glasgow. Scotland’s bid for second place in their Nations League group, a position that would give them favourable pot two seeding for December’s Euros draw, now looks in jeopardy. It was a damaging evening for Pocognoli, a bolt from the blue. He probably thought he was further down the road than he really is. The dejection from him and his captain at the end was unmissable, and it all sounded like some of the darker days under Steve Clarke.
There were giant empty spaces in the stands at Hampden, but enough fans remained to deliver a lusty verdict at the end. Going into the game there had been positivity around Scotland’s energy, the chances they were creating and a burgeoning attacking style far removed from Clarke’s supposed stodginess. All of that was badly undermined. It was not so much that Scotland lost, bad enough in itself, but how they lost: limp and lifeless for far too long.
Gannon-Doak played well as a wing-back last Saturday, but that was against North Macedonia, not Slovenia. The youngster was targeted and exposed in a position he is not familiar with, and he was kept quiet offensively. A back three that had looked impressive was hassled to distraction, calm replaced by confusion. Scotland’s go-to leaders did not lead. Robertson said his team was out-fought and not good enough, a telling comment given that fight is the easiest part to get right and requires no talent. On Saturday in Skopje, everything had been easy because North Macedonia were no good; Scotland scored two and could have scored five or six. Whether the lack of edge against Slovenia points to a team believing its own hype, or whether the system is to blame, Slovenia did their work on that and ripped it to pieces.
Pocognoli needs time, of course he does. He needs his most potent attacking midfielder, Scott McTominay, at the heart of things, and he needs more training sessions to drill his message into his players. November is his next chance, away to Switzerland and home to North Macedonia, and there is no real margin for error now. Scotland had a big opportunity to make it a healthy seven points from four games and they blew it. The head coach will need to nurse his wounds, having learned a lot about his players and with much thinking to do. The honeymoon period is over; the reaction of the Hampden crowd told you the first marital row has now occurred.