SLOVENIA 0 SCOTLAND 0: Applying a killer instinct in front of goal the big puzzle for Pocognoli to solve as Scots forced to settle for a point

For all that Sebastien Pocognoli has spoken of a desire to play a more attacking and dynamic brand of football, the reality is that Scotland’s new head coach does not have a magic wand.

In his first match in charge of the national team, a goalless draw in this Nations League clash with Slovenia in Ljubljana once again highlighted Scotland’s lack of cutting edge at the top end of the pitch.

It marked a third successive match in which Scotland have failed to find the net, adding to the defeats against Morocco and Brazil in the World Cup.

The lack of a proven goalscorer at the top end of the pitch is something which has plagued Scotland for many a long year and it already looks like one of the biggest issues Pocognoli must solve.

This was very much a game of two halves; Scotland were poor in the first 45 minutes and were fortunate not to be behind, with Slovenia twice hitting the woodwork.

In the second half, Scotland were utterly dominant. They battered Slovenia but ultimately had nothing to show for it thanks to wasting several gilt-edged chances.

Had they not been so profligate, Scotland could have scored three or four goals in the second half and won this match with something to spare.

In the end, Pocognoli had to settle for a draw in his first match at the helm. Despite laying siege to the Slovenian penalty box during the final half-hour or so, his team fired a blank.

But the second-half performance will surely be the platform from which to try and attack Switzerland at Hampden on Tuesday night.

The Swiss will be a major step up from Slovenia but the greater intensity and purpose to Scotland’s play after the interval was clearly the main positive of the afternoon.

The Tartan Army appreciated the effort and the fact that their team were clearly the dominant force towards the end of the match. At full-time, they applauded the players from the pitch despite it ultimately proving to be an afternoon of frustration against a stodgy and limited Slovenian side.

After all the speculation about how his new-look team might shape up, Pocognoli opted for a 3-4-1-2 system that saw Oli McBurnie and Robbie Ure start up front.

It was a bold call from the manager to go with two strikers, with McBurnie winning his first cap in five years, and clearly a signal of intent in terms of how he plans to change Scotland’s style and mentality.

This was a first cap for Ure after his big-money move to Sevilla in the summer, with Swansea City’s Stephen Welsh also handed a debut in the back three.

The main bone of contention with Pocognoli’s team selection was the fact that there was no place in the starting XI for Ben Gannon-Doak. With his pace and trickery out wide, the Bournemouth man has so often been Scotland’s difference-maker since breaking through a couple of years ago.

Pocognoli spoke on Friday about the need to be flexible with systems and formations, so it will be intriguing to see how he utilises the young winger moving forward, with Gannon-Doak coming off the bench in the second half.

Speaking to some of the locals in Ljubljana over the past couple of days, the air of pessimism was impossible to avoid. With just one win in their last 10 matches, it was also understandable.

There was pretty much no expectation that the home side would be capable of getting a result here, especially given the absence of star striker Benjamin Sesko due to injury.

But it was the Slovenians who had the ball in the net first when striker Andraz Sporar thumped a shot in off the post past Angus Gunn, only for it to be ruled out for an offside in the build-up.

It was a let-off for Scotland and it soon became clear that Pocognoli’s side did not look comfortable in certain aspects of what they were being asked to do.

Sporar had another good chance on 14 minutes when he latched on to a cross at the near post but couldn’t get enough purchase on the shot to trouble Gunn.

Scotland’s back three of Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna and Welsh looked ropey to say the least. Hendry was on the right, McKenna was central, and Welsh was on the left.

All three were effectively out of position. McKenna is left-footed, Hendry has the recovery pace and experience to play in the middle, with Welsh the natural fit on the right.

It all looked rather ham-fisted. There was no tempo to Scotland’s play when they had the ball, with Ure and McBurnie living on scraps up front.

Ure’s movement was decent at times and he looked equally capable of dropping into space and linking the play, or using his pace to stretch Slovenia in behind.

But Scotland were creating precious little of note. It was the home side who once again went close to opening the scoring on 33 minutes when a header from Vanja Drkusic clipped the outside of the post.

Sporting a black tracksuit and matching baseball cap, Pocognoli stood on the touchline with his arms folded, occasionally gesturing to his players about what he wanted them to do.

Scotland’s best moment of the opening 45 minutes came right on the cusp of half-time when John McGinn found Ure with a clever pass. The 22-year-old striker cut inside on to his left foot and fired a low shot at goal but it struck the post and went behind for a goal-kick.

In terms of chances created, that was pretty much it for Pocognoli’s side. It was surprising that the manager didn’t opt to make any changes at half-time, such was the disjointed look to Scotland.

They really ought to have taken the lead just five minutes after the break when McBurnie danced through the Slovenian defence after some neat build-up play and found himself one-on-one with Jan Oblak.

McBurnie should have pulled the trigger but instead he tried to round Oblak and made a mess of it, with the Atletico Madrid veteran keeper robbing him of the chance.

In the context of the game, it was a huge chance. With no goals in 16 caps previously, McBurnie could not have wished for a better opportunity.

Scotland were much-improved after the break, playing higher up the pitch and showing much more energy and aggression in how they pressed Slovenia.

Billy Gilmour had another good chance after combining well with McBurnie but his low shot was straight at Oblak. It felt like a goal was coming for the visitors.

Another chance came and went when Aaron Hickey glanced a header just wide from a McGinn corner on 69 minutes.

Likewise when Kieron Bowie, on as a sub to replace Ure, saw a shot saved by Oblak. The Slovenia keeper then stopped a McBurnie header from point-blank range.

Scotland were now utterly dominant but had nothing to show for it. Bowie had another glorious chance after being slipped in by a neat through ball from Gilmour but fired wide.

It was starting to feel like one of those matches where Scotland could have played for hours and still wouldn’t have found a way to ripple the net.

Oblak did make a couple of big saves, but Scotland’s failure to trouble the scoresheet will clearly be the focus of attention for Pocognoli.

Firing blanks has been a long-standing problem for Scotland. If Pocognoli is to make a success of this, he needs to help this team discover a killer touch at the top end of the pitch.