Pocognoli names McTominay in Scotland's 'captain group of five' ahead of Hampden clash
Sebastien Pocognoli said he will rely on a "captain group of five", including Scott McTominay, as Scotland prepare to face North Macedonia at Hampden on Friday in a UEFA Nations League fixture. The head coach described McTominay as one of the "fantastic leaders" who helped persuade him to take the Scotland job and said the midfielder "is in my captain group of five".
Pocognoli is enjoying his return to Scotland training and welcomed McTominay back into the squad after the 29-year-old missed Pocognoli's opening four-game Nations League camp in charge. That initial run produced a draw with Slovenia, a loss to Switzerland, a win over North Macedonia and a home defeat in the return fixture against Slovenia. The midfielder, who is back playing after a minor heart procedure, has revealed he received treatment to correct an irregular heartbeat two days before Scotland's World Cup win over Haiti in June.
Pocognoli said McTominay arrived at camp in good spirits: "He is exciting. He had a smile on his face from the minute he arrived at the camp." The coach credited a strong leadership group for his previous success with Union Saint-Gilloise and for helping set standards within the national team.
On the value of leaders within the squad, Pocognoli said: "Without leaders, you can't win anything." He added: "You need guys who are helping the staff bring the standard," and stated, "We are really lucky that we have a lot of captains in this team."
Pocognoli expanded on why that leadership influenced his decision to accept the Scotland post: "It is one of the reasons why I feel comfortable to come to Scotland as the gaffer because I know we have fantastic leaders who are committed to doing their best for their country." He also pointed to Andy Robertson as a key figure, saying "it is fantastic" the Tottenham Hotspur left-back is set to equal Kenny Dalglish's record of 102 caps and adding, "We are really lucky in modern football to have a leader like him."
Despite Pocognoli's optimism, Scotland sit third in Nations League Group B1 behind Switzerland and Slovenia and face the prospect of missing promotion. He said he had learned from his first four games in charge and acknowledged the limited preparation time, noting: "We know what we need to improve, but it is always a short period of time - two days to prepare for the game."
Scotland need at least four points from their final two Nations League games to have a chance of a promotion play-off place, with failure to progress potentially meaning these matches will be their last together before the European Championship qualifiers depending on the draw. "These two games, if we start the qualification in March, are the last package of games and we have to use it to be ready for the March camp," Pocognoli said. "If it is June, we have more time to prepare with friendlies. This camp is crucial for me in demanding the players try to impress me and do everything to improve."
