Sebastien Pocognoli takes charge of Scotland national team

Sebastien Pocognoli is now the head coach of the Scotland national team, beginning his work at a training camp in La Manga. His first match in charge will be a World Cup qualifier away to Slovenia on Saturday, a fixture detailed in the team's upcoming fixtures.

Pocognoli, who has the backing of senior players like Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Ryan Christie, is focused on what he calls "raising the bar". He takes over a side sitting third in their World Cup qualifying group with three points from three games, having lost their last two matches 3-0 to Brazil and 1-0 to Morocco. The team's recent form shows three wins and two losses from their last five outings, a record the new boss will aim to improve starting this weekend. This places them in a specific position within the wider standings.

Pocognoli has brought new faces into the fold for his first camp. Forward Robbie Ure and defender Luis Binks have been included, while Tony Docherty has been appointed as the new Scotland Under-21 manager. The coach is also working with a revamped backroom team as he implements his ideas. His early selections are under particular scrutiny with key attackers Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and midfielder Scott McTominay currently sidelined.

The new manager's favoured formation is a 3-4-1-2, a shift from previous setups. Training sessions in Spain have been geared towards embedding this structure. One member of the backroom staff noted that the emphasis on a certain physical profile in midfield brings to mind a player like Jude Bellingham.

The immediate focus is the trip to Ljubljana to face Slovenia this weekend. Scotland then host Switzerland at Hampden Park next Tuesday, before further qualifiers against North Macedonia in October. The squad travels to Slovenia on Friday for Pocognoli's competitive debut.

Read the full report at The Herald