NEW Scotland boss Sebastien Pocognoli is set to face his first test in the Nations League opener against Slovenia in Ljubljana today.
In this extended international break, the Belgian, who took over from Steve Clarke in August, will also face Switzerland, North Macedonia and a second fixture against Slovenia.
Ahead of the game, we look at everything you need to know about Pocognoli.
Who is Sebastien Pocognoli?
The former Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco head coach has signed an initial two-year contract to succeed Clarke.
Born in Seraing, near Liège in Belgium, on August 1, 1987, Pocognoli comes from a family of Italian heritage, with his grandparents having migrated from Italy to Belgium in the 1950s.
He grew up in the shadow of football, with his father working close to a local stadium, although Pocognoli has said he initially disliked the sport before being encouraged by his father to pursue it.
He played for hometown side RFC Seraing before joining the youth academy at Standard Liège and at the age of 15 he moved to Genk, believing the club offered a clearer pathway to first-team football while also allowing him to continue his studies.
He progressed rapidly through Belgium's youth ranks before making his senior debut for Genk at just 16 years old.
Playing career
Pocognoli joined Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in 2007 and was part of the team that won the Eredivisie title in 2009. He returned to Belgium with Standard Liège in 2010 before moving to Germany’s Hannover 96 and then to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion in 2014.
He finished his playing career with Union Saint-Gilloise in 2021, with 14 caps for Belgium.
Coaching
Pocognoli moved into coaching immediately after retirement, working first with youth teams at Union Saint-Gilloise and Genk before taking charge of Belgium's Under-18 side.
His breakthrough as a manager came at Union Saint-Gilloise, leading Union to their first ever title success.
Pocognoli then joined Monaco in October last year. He took them into the Champions League knockout phase, where they lost narrowly to Paris St Germain, but was sacked after a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1.
What has Sebastien Pocognoli said about the Scotland job?
Pocognoli becomes Scotland’s second foreign manager following German Berti Vogts’ reign from 2002-04.
The 39-year-old described his appointment as an “honour” and added on the Scottish Football Association website: “When I first heard of the interest, I was immediately excited about the opportunity.
“Scotland’s supporters are famous for their passion – most recently at the World Cup in the USA – and I have experienced it myself as a player for Belgium when we played in 2013.
“Along with my coaching staff, I will do everything I can to give them a team to be proud of and build on the success that has been achieved already by my predecessor.”
“Since negotiations began, I have been doing a lot of research, asking a lot of questions and looking at areas that we can build on,” he said.
“I am hugely excited by the prospect and look forward to working with the players to achieve even more success.”
