Sebastien Pocognoli shared a dressing room with Kevin De Bruyne during his time with Belgium, so he has had a close-up view of what elite midfield talent looks like.
He saw De Bruyne emerge as a young player and quickly become the man who dictated play at the centre of the Red Devils’ midfield.
De Bruyne was more than a deep-lying midfielder capable of setting the rhythm. He could also drive forward, create chances and provide a decisive attacking threat.
Although the evidence currently comes from just one match, Pocognoli appears to see Billy Gilmour taking on a comparable role for his refreshed Scotland side.
Following Saturday’s goalless draw with Slovenia in Ljubljana, the Scotland manager praised Gilmour after the Napoli midfielder took control of the game during a dominant second half.
Pocognoli moved Gilmour into a more advanced position, giving him greater influence in the final third. He helped create a number of opportunities, including a superb through ball that sent Kieron Bowie clear.
Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour appeared to be enjoying himself during Saturday’s meeting with Slovenia
That performance will have delighted Scotland supporters, especially after Gilmour missed the summer’s World Cup because of injury.
Even had he been available, however, his place in the team would not have been certain. Under Steve Clarke, there were occasions when it seemed unclear how best to make use of Gilmour’s qualities.
Despite being arguably Scotland’s most technically accomplished player, Gilmour was sometimes omitted for major fixtures when the national team was expected to spend long periods without possession.
The early signs suggest Pocognoli intends to make Gilmour central to his plans. The midfielder looks set to become the creative conductor trusted to unlock Scotland’s attacking potential under the new head coach.
Scotland face a far tougher examination at Hampden tomorrow night when Switzerland arrive, having taken Argentina to extra-time in the World Cup quarter-finals during the summer.
For Pocognoli, working with Gilmour has simply reinforced an opinion he had formed several years ago.
The Scotland boss was coaching at Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium while Gilmour was playing for Brighton in the Premier League.
Brighton have links with USG through Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics company, meaning Pocognoli was already well aware of Gilmour’s ability long before taking charge at Hampden.
Asked where Gilmour is most effective, the Scotland manager said: ‘Yes, I see him in that higher position. The goal he scored for Napoli last week showed exactly what he can produce in that area.
Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli believes Gilmour can have the greatest impact in an advanced midfield role
‘He came close to scoring in Slovenia after a brilliant combination with Oli. He needs to operate higher up the pitch because he can create assists from there too.
‘Playing him deeper makes him less dangerous. Lewis Ferguson has more of a defensive mindset, whereas Billy is naturally more offensive.
‘That is not to say Billy cannot play as a six in certain home matches. But I see him contributing more in attacking areas than in a defensive role.’
‘I just want Billy to enjoy his football with a smile. If he can do that, the rest will come.
‘I remember him well when he was in Brighton. I thought he was fantastic for them. When I was working for Union in Belgium, I already knew all about Billy. There is obviously a relationship between the two clubs and we were really close.
‘I want to see this level from him again — and I think we can produce a style of play to help him.
‘If these type of players can be happy after a game, it usually means that we had a good game and played well.
‘He had a good second half on Saturday and I really enjoyed it. 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.
‘My comment to him was to bring this on the pitch because we don’t have a lot of players like this. Even Switzerland don’t.
‘I need to make sure that he finds his smile on the pitch and he was smiling after the game. I see the Billy from Brighton in Slovenia.
‘At Napoli it is a little bit different, it is more thinking about off the ball. But when he can play he is smiling.
‘He will make mistakes, he played bad passes against Slovenia. But he has to take the risks to play like that for us to see his qualities.’
Pocognoli’s side battered Slovenia on Saturday but ultimately had to settle for a point after wasting several gilt-edged chances.
A classy Swiss side will pose a far different test in Glasgow tomorrow but should offer a decent gauge of the progress being made by Scotland’s new head coach.
He spoke last week about trying not to overload the players with new information as he seeks to change the style of play.
Given the cautious game plan favoured by Steve Clarke so often in the past seven years, this new-look approach was always going to take some time.
Asked whether it might feel like a revolution to some of the players, Pocognoli replied: ‘Yes, a little bit. On the ball, we try to go through the lines and take some risks.
Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was a team-mate of Pocognoli in the Belgian national side
‘We have the players to do this, but it is a change. We have players who made mistakes at the World Cup so it is a process to give them confidence.
‘We have to create a game plan which makes decisions easier for them. I allow them to make some mistakes.
‘We have the quality to go more direct and we showed it against Slovenia. We did not always go through Billy, we also played long and after the counter press.
‘We tried to find a balance. We have good players through the lines and we also have players who can run, maybe not like Ben (Gannon-Doak). But some players can explore the depths.
‘The result and performance usually blend in. If you win, people are happy. Sometimes you also can have an ugly game and still win.
‘Then other times where you actually play really well but don’t win. It’s about finding a good combination between playing well and still winning games.’
