On the face of it, a goalless draw to kick off the Sebastien Pocognoli era is hardly a sign that a new Scotland age of exciting, attacking football is upon us. And after a difficult 45 minutes, there may have been some misgivings from sections of the Tartan Army about decoupling from the safe pair of hands afforded by Steve Clarke for this bold new step under a young, progressive Belgian coach.
And yet, a hugely improved showing after the interval from a Scotland team brimming with energy and forward intent hinted that a brighter future may yet be before us. The only shame was that the Scots didn’t manage to reward themselves with a goal, carving out several golden opportunities and completely dominating their opponents in a hugely promising second half.
Here are the talking points from the Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana…
Don’t panic, don't panic!
Ok, admit it, who was a little concerned after that opening 45 minutes?
After a week of getting to know his players and vice-versa, and plenty of positivity flowing either way about the qualities of both parties, it was time for the Pocognoli era to finally get underway. And the line-up looked exciting on paper.
There were six survivors from Clarke’s last match in charge, the World Cup defeat to Brazil in Miami, but there was a feeling of freshness about the starting XI and no little enthusiasm to see what the twin pairing in attack, Oliver McBurnie and Robbie Ure, could do in particular.
The Belgian stayed true to his promise to sing the national anthem, but it was on the pitch where the first judgments would be made of his credentials to lead Scotland. Pocognoli had admitted to nerves before his maiden outing as national team manager and that extended onto the pitch in the opening exchanges.
The Scotland players looked unsure of where exactly they should be at times, while on the ball, the build up was often too ponderous. To expect more at this stage would perhaps be unfair, but it was clear the manager expected more from his men, and after settling down in the final five minutes of the half, they reappeared after the interval like a different team.
Suddenly, they were right on top of their opponents, smothering them and pinning them in. McBurnie had a golden chance. Then Billy Gilmour after a give and go with the striker. Jan Oblak denied them both.
Gilmour was now at the heart of the action after being on the periphery in the opening 45. Scotland were aggressive, snapping into tackles and pushing an even higher line up the pitch.
Kieron Bowie came on and missed a sitter, placing his finish wide when starting into the eyes of Oblak. In the end, it wasn’t to be. But the optimism around Scotland and Pocognoli not only survived this test, but may even be heightened by the second half showing.
How did new system help and hinder Scotland?
There were a few question marks around Pocognoli’s preferred system before the game, not least of which was the lack of a natural home within it for Ben Gannon-Doak. And there were even more when the match got underway.
The idea of playing three at the back is hardly a novel one to many in this Scotland squad, but playing with the wingbacks as high as they were here was taking a bit of getting used to.
The entire team was higher up the park than they had been accustomed to under Clarke, and the pre-match prediction from Slovenia manager Bostjan Cesar that Scotland would leave them space in behind to exploit was bang on the money.
The hosts got in down both sides with alarming regularity in the opening 20 minutes in particular, with Jack Hendry and Stephen Welsh on either side being dragged into wide areas where they didn’t look comfortable.
The Scots were a little fortunate not to concede in this period, with Andraz Sporar having a goal correctly disallowed for an offside, and having another close call as he just failed to meet a low cut back from the left after Aljosa Matko had got in all too easily.
Afte the break, we saw the flip side. Andy Robertson and Aaron Hickey were released wide to press the Slovenians back. It was suddenly the hosts who were being exploited down the flanks, while the security of the three centre backs on half way kept the Scots camped in the Slovenian half.
It is early days of course, but there was enough to admire about the second period just to quieten down those first half alarm bells.
McBurnie makes his mark despite not breaking duck
After five years since his last cap in a game against the Faroe Islands, here, finally, was the long-awaited end of McBurnie’s international exile. The question was, was the wait worth it?
Well, in the opening stages, like many in the Scotland team in fairness, he struggled to make an impact. So much so that he started to come deeper and deeper in his frustration in an attempt to get involved, but he showed there is a reason why his managers generally prefer to keep him away from those areas of the pitch as a crazy attempt at a square pass almost put his side in trouble.
Thankful for the reprieve, he started to work his way into the game in the sort of areas where he could do some damage to the opposition, linking the game well and holding onto the ball decently enough.
Then, five minutes after the restart, he had the chance he craved, skipping past a challenge on the edge of the area and finding himself in on Oblak. He tried to be a little too clever though, and the vastly experienced keeper read his feint to collect the ball at his feet.
It is now 17 caps and no goals for McBurnie, but there are signs that streak may not go on too much longer.
Who partners him?
If we assume McBurnie is now a nailed-on starter given how his profile fits what Pocognoli wants in a frontman, then who will partner the Hull man in Tuesday’s game against Switzerland at Hampden?
Robbie Ure was first to get the chance to stake a claim. The Sevilla striker had his full name on his jersey, and that wasn’t the only way he seemed intent on ensuring everybody knew exactly who he was. The debutant gave it his lot during his 67 minutes on the pitch, running channels and doing a lot of thankless work for the cause.
He also provided a threat. At times, it just didn’t quite come off for him, but he was hugely unfortunate to see a shot from the edge of the area clip the outside of the post.
When Bowie came on, he also proved a handful, providing a physical presence and also a threat, though he will be wondering just how he managed to miss the target altogether when played in on goal late on.
Still, both will feel they have a chance of being handed a jersey on Tuesday.
Hope springs eternal
After what looked to be shaping up to be something of an anti-climax and, dare I say it, more of the same, stilted build up Scotland fans had been desperate to see the back of, there is now plenty of evidence that the pre-match excitement and hope that was in the air in Ljubljana wasn’t misplaced.
This is only the beginning for Pocognoli and his new-look side, so snap judgments either way would be misguided. But there was enough here to ensure the Tartan Army will pack into Hampden in a few days’ time with hope. And this time, it may not be misguided.
