Pocognoli outlines Scotland vision after taking over from Steve Clarke

Sebastien Pocognoli has been appointed Scotland head coach, replacing Steve Clarke, who stepped down following the World Cup after a run of three consecutive tournament qualifications that nonetheless left supporters frustrated by the team’s performances at those finals.

The 39-year-old Belgian, who guided Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian title in 39 years before a spell at Monaco, was unveiled as Clarke’s successor and wasted little time in setting out his philosophy — one he believes is a natural fit for Scottish football’s culture.

“Scotland is a passionate country for football, I’m passionate,” Pocognoli said. “When I had the first contact, it’s not like you pick up the phone and you think ‘hmmm’. I was straight away very curious and interested because I always feel something special for the passion of Scottish football. It’s very famous in Belgium, this aspect.”

The former West Brom and Brighton left-back was careful not to dismantle what Clarke built, stressing continuity as a starting point. “I want to keep a strong foundation that was built in the past,” he said. “When you think about Scotland, it’s passionate players who fight together, who defend together, who want to help their team-mates. That was the DNA from the team in recent years.”

But Pocognoli is equally clear that he intends to leave his own imprint on the squad, particularly in terms of pressing and attacking intent. “What I will try to do is to maybe defend from the front, be a little bit more aggressive going forward and try to have a good football moment on the pitch,” he said. “I’m quite direct in terms of football and try to be aggressive and try to dominate.”

He acknowledged that such declarations are common in modern management, but pointed to his track record as evidence. “If you watch my two previous teams, you can see a relation between what I say and what I hope I can produce in a very short period of time.”

Pocognoli also confirmed that his brief from the Scottish Football Association includes developing younger talent alongside the experienced core Clarke assembled. “What they asked me to do is keep the heritage that was built the last years with Steve Clarke and his staff, because they put Scotland back on the map, but bring new ideas and prepare the future,” he said.

The new head coach added that selection will be purely merit-based. “It doesn’t matter where you play or who you are, you have to show the desire and fit the philosophy that I want to bring on the pitch. But we have all the quality already in the squad to do this.”