Several national teams have changed managers since the World Cup, although Pocognoli is not garnering the same attention as Jurgen Klopp, Xavi Hernandez or Zinedine Zidane. Wonder why?
He has overseen just 107 games in his spells in charge at Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco, after a playing career at left-back earned him 13 caps for Belgium.
Compared to Clarke, and many others on the international scene, he is somewhat inexperienced.
As is his squad. Twelve of them were not in the United States. Eight are yearning for a first cap. Pocognoli has cast his first net far and wide.
Sevilla striker Robbie Ure, Brondby captain Luis Binks and late addition Kristi Montgomery may never have had a look in under Clarke. Not an age thing, but Oli McBurnie is finally back with a point to prove.
James Wilson and Findlay Curtis were both capped by Clarke – the latter made two World Cup cameos – but both have been released to the under-21s for their important hosting of Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
The focus on youth, led by SFA chief football officer Craig Mulholland, is a far cry from the output the last time Scotland were in Slovenia.
After an agonising 2-2 draw in 2017, which ended their hopes of a place at the 2018 World Cup, then-manager Gordon Strachan famously pointed towards genetics for his side’s failure.
The Slovenes, who appointed former centre-back Bostjan Cesar, sent off in the dying minutes of that game in 2017 back in January, are in a sticky spot with just one win in 10.
Whisper it, but Scotland should win here. But it’s about more than that as they get to grips with Pocognoli.
It could be argued there was no better time to roll the dice. It’s a relatively stress-free opening for him with Switzerland at home and North Macedonia away before they meet Slovenia again at Hampden on 6 October – all in the knowledge there are a couple of back-door routes to the Euros in two years’ time.
With that in the mind, the new manager will be granted a grace period by punters. Eleven days is more than most are awarded.