New Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli believes the passion surrounding Scottish football aligns seamlessly with his philosophy.
The former Belgium international has been tasked with building upon Steve Clarke’s record of qualifying for three major tournaments.
Clarke stepped down following the World Cup after failing to inspire fans during the bulk of those tournament experiences, but Pocognoli stressed he will respect the heritage of his predecessor in terms of personnel and identity.
However, the 39-year-old, who guided Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian title in 39 years, is also intent on imprinting his personality onto the squad.
The former West Brom and Brighton left-back said: “For me it’s an exciting challenge because I never go through a challenge where I can’t feel the connection. Scotland is a passionate country for football, I’m passionate.
“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.
“It’s a big part of my decision because I think it can make a good fit with what I want to produce on the pitch and what the supporters want.”
Pocognoli refrained from making dramatic declarations about altering the team’s playing style, but feels his approach can connect with supporters.
“I want to keep a strong foundation that was built in the past,” the former Monaco head coach 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.
“What I will try to do, and we have the capacity to do this, 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.
“I’m quite direct in terms of football and try to be aggressive and try to dominate. I think all the coaches in modern football try to do this and say that, but the reality is that you have to do it.
“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.
“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.”
Pocognoli has been tasked with developing young talent while maintaining an experienced core.
“What they asked me to do is just to 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 most important thing is what was achieved before, to participate in the tournaments and to win games and that is what they did to reach the World Cup. So for me that’s the base and it’s a very strong base.”
