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Disappointed Swiss faces after 0: 1 in Spain. Image: keystone
Analysis
Nothing new from Spain: the Swiss team goes around in circles
The Swiss team remained yesterday in the 1-0 draw in Madrid against Spain, despite an impressive performance, with no chance of success. Vladimir Petkovic’s team is fighting relegation from the Nations League after just one point from three matches.
In times of the coronavirus pandemic, many international matches have changed. The players are absent because they tested positive. For others, like Xherdan Shaqiri or Spain’s winning scorer Mikel Oyarzabal, it was long uncertain whether they would be able to play on Saturday because tests at the beginning of the week had been positive due to a previous infection.
Press conferences with coaches and players are held online and there are virtually no spectators in the stadiums. Saturday’s game at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on the outskirts of Madrid unfolded in front of empty stands after a state of emergency was declared in the Spanish capital the day before. And also on Tuesday against Germany in Cologne, a maximum of 300 spectators should be there.
Switzerland goes around
However, from a Swiss point of view, little has changed when it comes to action on the pitch. SFV’s selection has been playfully established to a high standard with Petkovic. It practically does not fall below a certain level, although regular players such as Manuel Akanji, Kevin Mbabu, Denis Zakaria or Breel Embolo are lacking, as against Spain. But the air is getting weaker against the best in the world, especially in the game ahead.
While Petkovic’s team on defense, thanks to its class and organization, does not have to shy away from comparison with any other team in the world, there is a lack of quality in offense against the best, which can only be partially compensated as a collective. When players like Embolo or Renato Steffen are missing, Xherdan Shaqiri barely has match practice and Admir Mehmedi and Haris Seferovic are trying hard, but not in top form, so, as against Spain, they are missing.
If Shaqiri isn’t in top form, he can’t put any accent on offense either. Image: keystone
“We also showed against these opponents that not only can we keep up, but we are also better at times,” Petkovic said immediately after the match. How Ticino came to this conclusion remains its secret. The Spaniards had more possession (61:39 percent), more completions (13: 3), more passes (570: 369), more corners (7: 3); his victory was well deserved. The only good chance for Switzerland in the 95 minutes was a winger with Loris Benito.
The statistics of the game. bild: screenshot srf
The next summer mistake
The defeat of the Swiss was the logical consequence, especially since they had complicated their lives by making a big mistake. A bad pass from Yann Sommer to Granit Xhaka led to the goal in the quarter hour. It was not the first mistake of the summer of this fall. Already at 1: 2 against Ukraine in September he looked bad at 0: 1. And the Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper was not able to fully convince in the still young Bundesliga season.
The unnecessary goal against Spain. Video: transmittable
Petkovic defended his number 1: “It was a regrettable situation.” Maybe they had risked too much on this one. “But the way we play, you have to wait for something like that to happen.” The national coach was most upset about the recently missed opportunity to lead Benito 1-0. “It was a hundred percent, no, a thousand percent chance,” Petkovic said.
Fight the descent
After four games this fall, Switzerland is still without a win. “We already knew after the draw that we would have to wait for a loss or two,” Petkovic said. The way the team plays is important to him. “And that’s where we took a step forward.”
But the facts speak a different language. In the FIFA world rankings, there is a risk of falling from the top 10 in Europe, which would not be insignificant for the draw for the qualifying groups for the Qatar World Cup. And in the League of Nations, Switzerland, which is proud to participate in the final phase of 2019, plays against relegation.
The next match will follow in Germany on Tuesday. “We want to show that the 1-1 draw in Basel, when we had more scoring chances than Germany, was not a coincidence,” Petkovic said. The home games against Spain and Ukraine will follow in November. “So we have to do everything we can to stay in Group A.” At least at this point everyone agreed with the national coach.
