He was dubbed “the Belgian Simeone” by supporters during his time in charge of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (RUSG) due in no small part to his habit of, just like Atletico Madrid manager Diego, dressing entirely in black on match days.
But Sebastien Pocognoli, who will be officially confirmed as the new Scotland manager by the SFA next week, has many similarities to the firebrand Argentinian coach.
Both men favour a pragmatic style of football where the emphasis is firmly on keeping clean sheets, both men demand a strong mentality from players and are adept at instilling a robust attitude in their charges and both men have enjoyed noteworthy successes against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Pocognoli, the former left-back who played for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, Hannover 96 in Germany, West Brom and Brighton in England and Standard Liege in his native Belgium and won 13 caps for his country, may be out of work at the moment after parting company with Monaco in France back in June.
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However, he made history during his solitary season in the dugout at the Joseph Marian Stadium by leading RUSG to their first Pro League crown in 90 long years and so ending the longest title drought in European football history.
Wim Conings, a football journalist with the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper in Belgium, saw how his compatriot made the Brussels-based club, whose average home attendance and budget are both far smaller than those of Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Genk, Gent, Royal Antwerp and Standard Liege, the surprise champions during the 2024/25 campaign.
He can fully understand why the SFA were so keen for the 39-year-old, who has previously worked extensively with age-group sides in his homeland, to replace Steve Clarke, who stood down following an early exit from the World Cup in June, as the national team manager.
“Pocognoli is a coach who puts a lot of focus on the mentality of his side and organisation without the ball,” he said. “I would say that he is a rather pragmatic manager. When he worked here with Union he was called ‘the Belgian Simeone’ because of the way his teams played - and also due to the fact that he always dresses in black
“With Union he got off to a slow start and needed time to come good. There were a lot of 0-0 draws to begin with. He certainly had things sorted defensively, but he could not get the team to score.
“But things improved after he hired the former Belgium striker Kevin Mirallas, who is his former team mate and close friend. They started to perform well in both defence and attack and were worthy title winners in the end. Mirallas followed Pocognoli to Monaco and I wouldn't be surprised if he joins him in Scotland if he gets the job.”
Stijn Joris, who is the Royal Union Saint-Gilloise correspondent for Het Nieuwsblad, saw how Tony Bloom, the Brighton owner and major Hearts shareholder, has transformed the fortunes of The Old Lady by using data to drive recruitment after buying a majority stake in 2018.
But he stressed that Pocognoli has to take a great deal of the credit for a momentous league triumph that sent shockwaves through Belgium and across Europe as well.
“Pocognoli is a very humble and passionate guy,” he said. “But, at the same time, he is always in control. He works a lot on small details on the training ground and it pays off for him. He liked his teams to build play from the back. They play Total Football.
“He used a 3-5-2 system at RUSG, but that is the way the club always play. Every manager they appoint has to fit into that system. When he was at Monaco he changed to a back four. So he can play both ways.
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“I followed his career when he was a player with Belgium as well as during his title winning season with RUSG. He is a very correct and a very polite guy who the players respect and the media enjoy dealing with. He has a good partnership with Mirallas and I am sure he will want to take him to Scotland if this goes through.”
Pocognoli, who won the Belgian Cup as well as the Pro League and booked a place in the Champions League league phase when he was with RUSG, was headhunted by Monaco shortly after being named Belgian Manager of the Year in 2025.
His time in France was not quite so memorable. He only lasted eight months and was replaced by Felipe Luis with his side sitting eighth in Ligue 1. However, he still enjoyed a 42 per cent win rate.
The SFA have interviewed candidates from around the globe since Clarke brought an end to his record-breaking seven year reign - but chief executive Ian Maxwell and performance director Craig Mulholland were greatly impressed with the ex-defender and had no hesitation in offering him the role.
Andy Robertson and his team mates are set to return to action in the Nations League next month and the governing body were keen to have their new manager in place when they do.
They play Slovenia away in their opening Group B1 match and follow that up with a meeting with Switzerland at home and then an encounter with North Macedonia away.
Pocognoli will become the first foreign manager to take charge of Scotland since Berti Vogts, the German who was at the helm between 2002 and 2004, and only the second in their history.
