Young Boys go down in their own stadium. The performance against Atalanta Bergamo fits seamlessly into their weakest Champions League campaign to date.
What should you hold on to after a 1:6 defeat? YB coach Joël Magnin tried the first 20 minutes. "We had some good moves at the start and were able to react immediately after going behind," said the 53-year-old, who could hardly find anything positive after that. "Atalanta gave us a lesson for 70 minutes. The Italians were much more determined, we hardly won any duels."
Magnin and David von Ballmoos had warned against the defiant Italians the day before the game. The YB goalkeeper recalled the last clash three years ago and that Atalanta "play with pressing almost all over the pitch", and the coach also predicted strong man-to-man defending from the visitors. So it was not as if the Bernese did not know what to expect. Nevertheless, they were not ready.
Nonchalantly to their doom
For the second time in the current campaign, YB lost with a five-goal difference. The 5-0 defeat in Barcelona could be overlooked, as it can happen against a world-class team away from home. The 1:6 at home in Wankdorf, on the other hand, was painful. But there was little sign of that. Lewin Blum, one of the few YB players to make it into the interview zone after the defeat, said: "We play against very good teams in the Champions League. We can learn a lot in these duels and then try to put it into practice in the championship."
Defeats as welcome lessons. Taking part is everything, seems to be the new motto. It's as if the three previous participations in the Champions League had never happened. YB had provided one or two highlights in these. The team from Bern celebrated victories against Juventus Turin and Manchester United in front of their home crowd, and last year they finished third in their group for the first time. And even when there were defeats, the team did not completely fall apart as it did against Atalanta on Tuesday evening.
Not an easy remaining program
So far, Young Boys have finished the CL group stages with 12 (2018 and 2021) and 13 (2023) goals conceded in six games. Now they have already conceded 17 goals after five rounds. In terms of points, the Bernese are also heading for their weakest performance in the top flight to date.
But they have not given up, Blum assured and, like coach Magnin later, pointed out that reaching the knockout phase is still mathematically possible. However, to finish in the top 24, they would finally need a sense of achievement. The remaining two difficult away games in Stuttgart and at Celtic Glasgow are on the agenda, before Red Star Belgrade visit the Wankdorf at the end. If the big turnaround is to be achieved, the players will also need to change their attitude.
SDA
