The first games of the new season have been sobering for the Swiss national team. It has a lot to improve on in October if it is to correct its false start in the Nations League.
"Not everything we showed was so bad," national coach Murat Yakin was keen to point out. There is no mathematical basis for this statement. With zero points and a goal difference of 1:6, the start to the Nations League was clearly a failure. However, there are a few things hidden behind the numbers that can be encouraging or serve as an explanation for the 0:2 in Denmark and the 1:4 against Spain.
As early as the first day of the Nations League, national team director Pierluigi Tami set the goal of building a new team in addition to the mere results. New players are to be integrated, as Yann Sommer, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabian Schär, a trio with over 300 international caps, have retired.
However, with Granit Xhaka and Nico Elvedi suspended against Spain and Dan Ndoye missing both games through injury, Yakin had to make massive changes. "We perhaps lacked a bit of automatism," said Manuel Akanji, who stood in for Xhaka as captain on Sunday evening in Geneva. Yakin also mentioned the lack of experience and regretted a lack of cleverness. "We lost patience in our attacks," he said after the game against Spain and the disappointingly uninspired second half.
Both the captain and the national team coach addressed fundamental issues, such as Akanji's lack of communication when conceding four goals and Yakin's determination when defending. For Remo Freuler, it is clear that the defensive work must be improved: "It starts at the front and ends at the back." Michel Aebischer lacked the decisive pass up front, the action that creates goal-scoring opportunities.
Working on luck
Switzerland showed little efficiency in the penalty areas in both international matches. "We didn't reward ourselves at the key moments," said Yakin. Switzerland played well and dominated at times, for just under a half in Denmark and a little longer against the ten Spaniards on Sunday evening. But the chances they created were too few, and in defense Switzerland never looked nearly as secure as they did at the European Championship.
No, he's not worried, said Freuler. "We know what we need to change." There will be a lot to talk about "when we meet again in October", Akanji looked ahead. Yakin emphasized that his team did not have luck on their side these days either. There was the sending off in Copenhagen against Nico Elvedi, which caused so much misunderstanding among the Swiss and led to the defeat. Against Spain, there was a crossbar shot and two disallowed goals.
Yakin insists that luck must be worked for. The serenity and determination that were too often lacking in the two games are crucial for this. In Geneva, Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas and Zeki Amdouni all showed the qualities Switzerland need to create dangerous moves in the strong quarter of an hour before the break. The trio showed promise for the coming weeks, even if they did not feature much in the second half.
There is not an alternative for everyone
In terms of personnel, Yakin has gained one or two insights. Granit Xhaka is irreplaceable as a playmaker, Silvan Widmer is the most effective on the right defensive wing and Gregor Kobel is a safe bet as Sommer's successor. Dan Ndoye was sorely missed as a source of inspiration, especially against Denmark. And the less experienced Becir Omeragic and Gregory Wüthrich, who slipped into the team on Sunday, will have to feel their way up to international level.
Even if there were no points at the start of the Nations League, there is still some information to work with. "We'll come back stronger," Yakin assures us, reminding us: "We've started the Nations League with three defeats before." Two years ago, the low point in a group with Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic was followed by three wins and a place in the group.
Switzerland must achieve something similar next month when the Nations League continues in Serbia on October 12 and against Denmark in St. Gallen on October 15. "We have to pick up six points," said Akanji shortly after the match in Geneva, setting the tone for the next campaign.
SDA
