Walking through the streets of Ljubljana, a city decorated by stunning architecture and scenery, it is difficult not to marvel at the beauty of your surroundings.

This is no concrete jungle. Instead, as one of the quaintest and most picturesque cities in all of Europe, the capital of Slovenia feels like it is nestled away underneath a canopy of rolling hillsides and forests.

It is a million miles removed from the frantic hustle and bustle of Miami, the scene of Scotland’s last match when they were knocked out of the World Cup three months ago.

Over the past 24 hours or so, the Tartan Army have arrived in strong numbers. Some are still scarred by the World Cup, another no-show in a major tournament, but the appointment of Sebastien Pocognoli offers hope of a fresh start.

On the official coat of arms of Ljubljana, a dragon is depicted as breathing fire. The city’s most famous landmark is also the Dragon Bridge, where four of the beasts were sculpted from copper.

Indeed, there are even dragons painted on manholes all over the place. Built on an ancient tale from Greek mythology and the slaying of a beast nearby, this is the city of dragons.

Scotland manager Sebastien Pocognoli will need time to imprint his DNA on the national team

At the dawn of a new era, The Dragons’ Den is a fitting venue for Pocognoli as he seeks to breathe fire into his new-look Scotland squad.

A Nations League qualifier against Slovenia this afternoon at the modest Stadion Stozice perhaps lacks the glamour and box-office appeal of facing Brazil in Miami.

It is a venue that holds around 16,000 fans and one which has hosted gigs by Elton John, Leonard Cohen, Michael Buble and Bob Dylan in the past.

To borrow a line from Dylan himself, The Times They Are A-Changin’. For Pocognoli, his players, and everyone else connected to Scotland, the revolution starts here.

For Scotland fans who eventually grew weary of the Steve Clarke regime and the former manager’s innate sense of caution, this is where the page turns.

Pocognoli and his players have spent the last week at a warm-weather training camp in La Manga. The word from the camp is that he’s worked them hard, drilled them in certain aspects of what he wants to see.

Certainly, it was anything but a jolly. As one observer noted to Mail Sport, the players left the field each day absolutely soaked in sweat and blowing hard.

For the new head coach, it was much-needed quality time spent on the training pitch to begin the process of changing how this team play. A chance to build relationships and build trust in his methods.

Scotland now arrive here in Ljubljana on the back of a first World Cup appearance in 28 years, one where they exited in fairly meek fashion in the group stage.

It was a similar story in each of the last two European Championships, hence the feeling among so many was that Clarke’s time was up. Plainly, there were few tears shed when he walked away from a four-year contract.

Across his previous jobs at Union Saint-Gilloise, where he won a league title in his native Belgium, and Monaco, Pocognoli generally favoured a 3-4-2-1 system.

His teams were aggressive, pressed high up the pitch, and played quickly through the lines. All of this sounds great in theory.

Kieron Bowie is one of many youngsters in the squad hoping to impress this month

But it would be naïve to expect that one click of his fingers and a few training sessions can change everything in an instant. This might need time and patience.

Clarke’s Scotland were organised, resilient, sometimes timid, sometimes terrific. At their best, they could dig out results against superior opposition. At their worst, they looked like a team being coached not to lose games, rather than one being coached in how to win them.

Pocognoli will ask for more risk, more energy and pressing, younger legs, and he has already brought a fresher look the whole thing.

That much was evident the moment he named his squad for this Nations League quadruple header. In the initial squad named, 15 of the 27 players weren’t even at the World Cup.

This is new, it’s fresh and it’s exciting to see what might be possible. A step into the unknown, even. As is always the case, it’s difficult to know fully what to expect from a new manager’s first match in charge.

Craig Brown was appointed just hours before a World Cup qualifier in Malta and won 2-0. Gordon Strachan began with a 1-0 win over Estonia at Pittodrie.

Alex McLeish’s first spell opened with a 2-1 victory against Georgia that kept Euro 2008 hopes alive.

Clarke himself started with a 2-1 win over Cyprus at Hampden in June 2019, the first step on a journey that would eventually take Scotland to Euro 2020, Euro 2024 and the World Cup.

Not every managerial debut was so kind. Berti Vogts, the only previous foreigner prior to Pocognoli, suffered a 5-0 humiliation in France.

George Burley drew 1-1 with Croatia in a friendly and never recovered the early momentum, losing 1-0 away in Macedonia in his first competitive match at the helm.

History suggests the result this afternoon will be overblown either way. Win and Pocognoli will be the best thing since sliced bread; lose and the groans will be heard all the way from Ljubljana to Linlithgow.

Both interpretations will be wrong. Changing the DNA of Scotland’s national team will not be a two-week job. It will take time to fully implement his ideas.

It is the start of a new dawn for Scotland following their dismal World Cup exit in the summer

The Nations League context matters more than any single result. Scotland sit in Group B1, alongside Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia.

Four matches come quickly in the space of just 11 days: Slovenia away, Switzerland at home, North Macedonia away, Slovenia again at Hampden.

The group winners earn promotion to League A. The runners-up secure a play-off spot. For a side co-hosting Euro 2028 with England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, the competition carries an additional layer for Scotland.

Qualification for the finals will be decided primarily through the actual qualifiers next year.

Twelve group winners and the eight best runners-up go through automatically. Two places are reserved for the best-ranked host nations that fail to qualify by the normal route.

Only if more than two of the four hosts miss out do the Nations League play-offs actually become relevant for Scotland.

In practical terms, Scotland effectively have three routes: win their qualifying group, finish as one of the best runners-up, or rely on the host-nation safety net.

A strong Nations League campaign still helps, of course. It can improve their world ranking, it can build cohesion and momentum. But the real work, the games which carry genuine consequence, begins next year. That’s when most fans would expect to see tangible signs of progress.

Slovenia are without their talismanic striker Benjamin Sesko. The Manchester United star has suffered a shin injury and, with 16 goals in 45 caps, his absence undoubtedly weakens the hosts’ forward line.

Bostjan Cesar’s side will be captained by Jan Oblak, the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper who has excelled at the very top level for well over a decade now.

But, overall, it’s a squad of modest ability. It is not beyond the realms that Scotland come here and win. On paper, their squad is far superior.

Yet the real test is not about taking three points. It is whether the first outlines of Pocognoli’s vision appear. Can we see an appreciable shift in style? Do the players press higher? Do they take the ball under pressure and play forward? Does the team excite supporters and create chances?

Clarke delivered the return to the big stage. Pocognoli’s task is to shape what happens once they are there. Simply qualifying for major tournaments should no longer be viewed as success in and of itself.

The journey starts this afternoon in Ljubljana. A city built on dragons and mythology, a slaying of the beast would be the perfect way to start.