Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour has missed the World Cup campaign after a heartbreaking injury against Curacao in Scotland’s final home warm-up match.
He returned to the heart of midfield alongside Lewis Ferguson and, according to former Scotland midfielder John Collins, was “the catalyst for everything” in the second half.
“From the start of the second half he was winning the ball, playing forward passes and following his pass to the attackers,” Collins said.
Gilmour played higher up the pitch than Ferguson, “close to a creative 10” according to former Scotland winger Pat Nevin, and played 32 passes into the final third, more than any player on the pitch.
The former Chelsea player combined well with McBurnie on the edge of the box to set up a shot; he slipped in Robbie Ure who chose to cross rather than shoot; and spotted Kieron Bowie with a wonderful through ball that should have resulted in a goal.
These are just a few of his key moments. Pocognoli then spoke about the half-time adjustment aimed at bringing Gilmour deeper to make it harder for Slovenia to play through them and have better control of the ball.
“We fixed Billy’s position to be a little bit lower and to have Oli McBurnie a little more in his box, with two sixes and two 10s, and we were more compact to win the ball back when we lost it.
“Also, it creates a certain imbalance in the Slovenian defense, where we can go through the lines with a good chance from Billy or through the depth with the chance from Kieron Bowie or with a few crosses.
“He’s a fantastic player, I like him a lot. He’s a creative player who always looks forward, always ready to find a solution with a clear game plan, also a good presence around the box and also a very good defense.”
Gn sports
