Pocognoli urges Gilmour to take risks as Scotland face Switzerland

Sébastien Pocognoli wants Billy Gilmour to take risks in midfield as Scotland prepare to face Switzerland on Tuesday. The new manager said Gilmour’s ability to play quickly could help Scotland improve after a World Cup campaign that ended in the group stage. He also warned that players will need regular club football to meet the demands of international matches.

Pocognoli’s comments, reported by The Guardian on 28 September, followed his first match in charge: a 0-0 Nations League draw away to Slovenia on Saturday. Gilmour started that game after missing Scotland’s previous match through injury. The Napoli midfielder had also missed the World Cup through injury, according to The Guardian, making the Slovenia fixture an early chance for Pocognoli to assess him in his own team.

Freedom to play forward

Pocognoli singled out Gilmour’s one-touch passing as a sign that he understood the team’s plan. ‘If you have a player who plays one touch without even looking where he puts the ball it means that he understands the game plan,’ he said, according to The Guardian. The manager said Scotland did not have many players with that ability and wanted Gilmour to enjoy his football.

That approach includes accepting errors. Pocognoli acknowledged that Gilmour played bad passes against Slovenia, but said he ‘has to take the risks’ to show his qualities. He recalled the player he had watched at Brighton and said Gilmour’s role at Napoli involved more thinking about play off the ball. His comparison was an assessment of how to bring out the midfielder’s strengths for Scotland, rather than a prediction of a result against Switzerland.

The draw took place at Stadion Stožice in Ljubljana on 26 September, with 12,182 spectators recorded by the Slovenian football association. Its match record lists Gilmour in Scotland’s starting side. The Scottish FA says Pocognoli made five changes from the team that began Scotland’s previous match against Brazil, including Gilmour’s return. The result left the manager with evidence of attacking play and a clear finishing problem from his opening fixture.

Club minutes under scrutiny

Pocognoli also set out a broader concern about his squad. Players who are not featuring regularly for their clubs will find it increasingly difficult to win Scotland places, he said. The Guardian identified Ben Gannon-Doak, Ryan Christie and Aaron Hickey among squad members whose domestic playing time has been restricted this season. The warning was about future selection and fitness, not an announcement that any of them had lost a place.

For now, Pocognoli said, the situation was manageable. He expected Gannon-Doak to receive opportunities because Bournemouth had Europa League fixtures, and said Gilmour had played in recent weeks since the Champions League began. More club matches and squad rotation could give players time on the field, but the manager did not say that those opportunities were guaranteed for each individual.

His concern becomes sharper later in the season. ‘What concerns me is when March comes,’ Pocognoli said, warning that too little playing time could leave players struggling with the physical demands of international football. He said Scotland would see how matters stood in November and stressed the need for players to have played. The Guardian reported that he expected the issue to matter more by the time qualifying for Euro 2028 begins next year.

Switzerland next

Scotland’s next Group B1 match is against Switzerland at Hampden Park on Tuesday, 29 September, according to the Scottish FA. The fixture gives Pocognoli another opportunity to work with Gilmour after the goalless start in Slovenia. His comments describe the kind of midfield play he wants and the standards he expects across the squad; they do not establish who will start against Switzerland or how much club football each player will receive in the months ahead.