Pocognoli turns to Scotland’s leaders

Sebastien Pocognoli is starting his Scotland tenure by trusting the dressing room rather than pretending he can remake it alone.

BBC Sport reports the new head coach said he will lean on a “captain group of five”, with Scott McTominay central to that plan. Pocognoli described the Napoli midfielder as “exciting” and as one of the “fantastic leaders” who helped persuade him to accept the Scotland job.

That matters because an international manager gets little time for grand theory. He inherits habits, senior players and whatever authority already lives inside the squad. Pocognoli’s first clear choice appears to be using that existing power structure instead of arriving with the usual new-broom theatre.

McTominay’s influence also tells its own story. He is not just a midfielder Pocognoli is pleased to select; BBC Sport’s account places him among the players who helped sell the manager on the role itself. That gives him weight before a ball is kicked.

The rest of the five-man leadership group is not named in the available report, but Pocognoli has made the line of command clear enough: Scotland’s next phase will not be carried by one voice on the touchline.