Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Sebastien Pocognoli feels his experiences in the early days of Belgium’s “golden generation” can help him manage expectations with Scotland, as he prepares for his first game in charge.
Scotland open their Nations League campaign in Slovenia on Saturday, with Switzerland and North Macedonia their other opponents in Group B1, having been relegated from the competition’s top tier under Steve Clarke in 2024-25.
Clarke did lead Scotland to a second successive major tournament – and a record third under his watch – at the World Cup, but they suffered a meek group-stage exit following defeats against Morocco and Brazil.
Pocognoli is returning to international management, having coached Belgium’s under-18 side before having stints in charge of Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco in the club game.
And he feels he has learned plenty about managing the pressure that comes with the international game, having been part of Belgium’s much-feted “golden generation”.
Pocognoli played alongside Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele at the 2008 Olympic Games – a tournament where Belgium lost the bronze-medal match – before winning 13 senior caps between 2008 and 2014.
He never appeared at a major tournament for his country, with his final cap coming in 2014 World Cup qualifying, but he saw how the pressure to deliver silverware weighed on a squad that also featured Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
“In my own case, I was part of the ‘golden generation’ at the start,” he said. “I made the first step. We made the Olympic Games, and I was part of the [2014] qualification.
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 21, 2026
“But for me, there were high expectations on the Belgian players – an over-expectation. It was too much. It is a country of 12 million people, and you have to deal with France and Germany next to you, and England.
“There were fantastic players and that Belgium team reached third place in the [2018] World Cup. Fantastic. They were first in the FIFA rankings for five or six years. You can’t do more than that.
“Maybe with some luck you can win a medal, but there was over-expectation and I think that generation reached its best, to be honest.”
Though the expectations surrounding Scotland are not as sky-high as those that Belgium failed to meet, Pocognoli wants to make pressure a motivating factor for his team.
“Yes, the bar is very high,” Pocognoli said. “I know this. But you have to deal with this heritage. The heritage is massively positive, so use it.
“If I put this as a pressure, we are not going to go the right way. I have to use it as a benefit to embrace.”
Scotland – who are building towards a home European Championship campaign in 2028 – will welcome Switzerland to Hampden Park next Tuesday, for their first home game under Pocognoli.
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