On Tuesday, GC announced the dismissal of coach Marco Schällibaum. blue Sport expert Pascal "Zubi" Zuberbühler regrets the decision and hopes that the Hoppers will not put a German on the sidelines.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Marco Schällibaum was sacked as GC coach on Tuesday.
- blue Sport expert Pascal Zuberbühler regrets the decision, as GC owes a lot to Marco Schällibaum and the team was "actually still alive".
- As far as the successor is concerned, the former GC champion goalie is hoping for a Swiss coach - or at least one who knows Swiss football. However, Zubi fears that the choice could fall on a German.
On Tuesday evening at 5.49 pm, the Hoppers sent out a tweet: "GC Zurich has ended its collaboration with head coach Marco Schällibaum. In view of the continuing sporting results, the club has decided that a change is necessary."
This is followed eleven minutes later by a tweet reminding us that Schällibaum was the great savior in the summer, taking over the Hoppers in a desolate state, breathing new life into the players and managing to stay in the league with his team in extremis.
Zubi wants a Swiss solution for GC
Former international goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler, who started his professional career at GC and helped the Zurich team to three league titles and a cup triumph, follows GC's performances very closely, and not just in his role as a blue Sport expert, because the club is still close to his heart. Was his dismissal unavoidable? And what should GC do now?
The interview with Pascal Zuberbühler
GC has dismissed Marco Schällibaum. What was your first reaction?
GC was closely monitored and they didn't achieve good results. After the game, people kept saying that they didn't play badly, that they did a lot of things right. But in the end, they didn't score any points. When you're in such a negative loop, it's very obvious that you have to discuss the coach. I'm actually against questioning the coach again and again. But the coach has to clear the field again. And at GC, too many coaches have been passed through the ranks in recent years anyway.
I don't really know what else to say about it. But Marco Schällibaum was certainly the one who was instrumental in keeping GC in the Super League. I remember the two games against Thun very well. He had the team under control and was still able to give the team fire. And now they've pulled the ripcord. But I'm curious to see what happens now. And I'm very curious to see who they'll bring in as the new coach. That's the most important thing now. If you're in this negative spiral, what type of coach will you bring into the Swiss league now?
When things aren't going well, the coach often has to go ...
Yes, of course, people keep saying: it's the coach's fault, the coach has to be sacked, you need new impetus. But the team was actually still alive. They haven't produced any results in the last few rounds, that's clear. They're second last in the table, that's the other thing. But they're pulling the ripcord again and I don't like that. I can sense a bit of nervousness within the club. And I'm curious to see how the gentlemen in charge at GC will explain in the media why they made this decision. But again, for me the decisive and very important thing is who they now put on the sidelines.
Who should be the new GC coach?
I thought it was very positive that Marco Schällibaum, someone who also has a GC past and GC blood, was on the touchline. I thought that was very good. And I think we need to have a Swiss coach again, or it would be an advantage to have a Swiss coach again. Or a coach who at least knows Swiss football. (...)
Of course, I'm thinking about bringing in a German coach. When you know that we have two important people in the club, Harald Gärtner (Managing Director) and Stephan Schwarz (Sporting Director), that you're going to put another German on the sidelines. That's nothing against the German coaches, they're certainly good. But we Swiss also have very good coaches. It's been said time and again in the run-up to the game that we want to get back to GC's roots. Getting the mix right is the great art. And I'm curious to see how they will act at the club.
What's next for Marco Schällibaum?
At GC, he was also the one who kept the team up. People had actually already written GC off after the first barrage game against Thun at the Letzigrund. But he kept them up with a good game in Thun.
It's a shame that he was sacked so early in the season. That's always very difficult for a coach. There are a lot of coaches who don't have a job. If we look at how many clubs there are that are looking for a professional coach... That is of course very bitter and very difficult.
