Scotland's New Boss Pocognoli Aims to Build on Clarke's Foundation
Scotland's new boss Sebastien Pocognoli has said that he feels a connection with the passionate nature of Scottish football and aims to build on Steve Clarke's foundation.
Pocognoli, 39, was confirmed as Steve Clarke's successor on Sunday and introduced himself to the media on Monday. He becomes only the second foreign boss of the Scotland men's team, after the German Berti Vogts.
Scotland is currently 3rd in the World Cup with 3 points, 1 win, 0 draws, and 2 losses from 3 games, recent form LLW. They are 4 points behind leaders Brazil in the title race.
Pocognoli wants to create a 'high-performing' Scotland and believes he has what it takes to build on Clarke's 'strong foundation'. He said, 'I'm very proud to be here. It's a very strong challenge, with a project to develop the future of Scottish football. There are the metrics, but the human aspect was also very important. I never go to a challenge where I can't feel the connection.'
Pocognoli is taking over a Scotland side that have qualified for back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup, but the SFA is convinced the 39-year-old can take the national team to new heights.
What do Scotland fans want from Pocognoli?
Scotland fans are hoping that Pocognoli will take a fresh look at the players available and not just pick the same old faces that have failed miserably during Clarke's time as head coach. They also want him to help the team progress and achieve Euro 2028 qualification.
What comes next?
Pocognoli's first task will be to lead Scotland in their next fixture against Slovenia on 26th September 2026. He will have a rebuild job to do, but there's no reason to believe that Scotland can't achieve their goals under his leadership.
Scotland's next fixture is against Slovenia on 26th September 2026.
