SKOPJE — Sebastien Pocognoli faces a defining week as Scotland head to the Nacionalna Arena Toše Proeski in Skopje on Saturday for a Nations League Group B1 meeting with North Macedonia, still searching for a first win, a first goal and answers after a 0-3 defeat to Switzerland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Switzerland were the winners in Glasgow as the 10-man Scots were outclassed following an early red card, leaving the new head coach with two games, one point and no goals from his opening matches.
Goalkeeper Angus Gunn was under scrutiny after conceding three in Glasgow, with pundit Andy Halliday describing Ricardo Rodriguez's opener as "shoulder height [with] not a lot of pace" and calling Gunn's failure to keep it out "so poor," while Zeki Amdouni's third went through the 30-year-old. Gunn, who was Steve Clarke's number one at the World Cup and has conceded 23 goals in 11 games for San Jose Earthquakes in the United States, said: "They were good strikes, but as a goalkeeper, I'm always disappointed when I concede a goal," adding, "I'll look back and see what I could have done better and get better for the next game." Alternatives are limited, with Scott Bain at Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership, Jon McCracken at Bradford in England's League One and Liam Kelly yet to feature beyond the bench for Rangers this term, though Pocognoli has already shown a willingness for bold calls with three debuts in two games.
Defence may offer more clarity, with Swansea City's Stephen Welsh pushing for a start after Jack Hendry's red card and suspension. Welsh impressed on debut on the left of a back three in Slovenia on Saturday, was benched for Luis Binks' debut on Tuesday, then returned on the right after Hendry's dismissal and performed admirably, offering vocal presence, versatility and comfort carrying the ball suited to Pocognoli's style. Further forward, the system itself is under question, with Pocognoli's preferred 3-4-1-2 leaving no natural role for Bournemouth winger Ben Gannon-Doak, 20, who has yet to start but made notable impacts off the bench in both games. Halliday said he would be "shocked" if Gannon-Doak did not start against Group B1's bottom side, raising whether the Belgian will show flexibility and try him at wing-back ahead of more natural defenders Aaron Hickey or Nathan Patterson.
Vice-captain John McGinn is another focal point as he sits on 91 caps and approaches a century. The Aston Villa captain won a bounty of fouls against Switzerland and improved in the second half in Slovenia at the Stozice Arena, but has yet to hit his Premier League levels for Scotland, prompting debate over whether the system suits him. In attack, Kieron Bowie is expected to get another chance after his first Scotland start lasted just over 10 minutes before he was sacrificed for Welsh following the red card, while his brief partnership with Hull City's Oli McBurnie in Slovenia showed promise. McBurnie, five years on from his last international involvement, has answered questions over commitment with strong work-rate as a largely solo striker, winning flick-ons that lacked support after Bowie's early exit.
Pocognoli has inherited the scoring problem that marked the end of Clarke's tenure, with Scotland now four games without a goal and 25 minutes away from setting a new unwanted record. Saturday in Skopje, live on the BBC, is framed as the moment for a first win under the Belgian, following Pocognoli's search for a first Scotland win in North Macedonia and the lessons of a difficult Hampden debut.