No excuses as Pocognoli seeks first Hampden victory

Pocognoli seeks first Hampden win after two defeats; Scotland face North Macedonia in Nations League with McTominay, Tierney and Adams available.

Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has lost his first two home matches in charge, conceding five goals and scoring just one. The defeat to Slovenia was particularly concerning, with captain Andy Robertson saying his team was out-played and out-fought, lacking intensity and aggression.

Friday's Nations League match against North Macedonia offers Pocognoli a chance to rebuild credibility. Scotland beat North Macedonia 2-0 away in Skopje during his third game in charge, but were missing key players Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Che Adams.

All three are now available and in form: McTominay has returned from heart issues and is scoring for Napoli, Tierney is performing well at Celtic, and Adams has two goals in five games for his Italian club.

Pocognoli acknowledged the Slovenia performance fell short of his standards, saying his team lacked intensity and aggression—"the one non-negotiable topic" for him. He insists there are no excuses this time and appears set to stick with his preferred back-three system, believing it best suits his squad's qualities.