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On September 3, at the Arena Lviv, the Ukrainian team will play against Switzerland in the first round of the Nations League. With this fight, our national team will start the new season. The break after the end of the previous season was really impressive: almost ten months have passed since the last game of the “blue-yellow” team (in mid-November last year, the Ukrainians, as part of the selection for Euro 2020 , they played 2: 2 away with the Serbian national team).
Since then, too much water has passed under the bridge. At the moment, the European Championship, in which we all expected feats from our national team, should have gone down in history for a long time. But due to the coronavirus, the euro was postponed for next summer, and it is through the struggles of the League of Nations that our team will prepare for the next continental forum. In any case, this is exactly the emphasis placed by the management team Andriy Shevchenko.
Regulation. Let’s briefly recall the League of Nations regulations (mainly in the context of our national team). In the premiere of this original, but even more likely semi-official tournament, the Ukrainian team played in League B (and there are four of them: A, B, C and D). Having won their group, the Ukrainians got the right to play among the strongest. They got such a thing: besides Switzerland, it’s also Spain and Germany. After the teams play each other in “home-away” mode, the winner of the groups will be determined. Aside from the fact that these winners will receive a nice financial bonus, they also have a purely sports bonus. As for “our” League A, its four winners next summer in the four finalists will compete for the main prize (the Portuguese team became the winner in the premiere draw). But the teams that ranked last in their groups will automatically be demoted in the class. And the same goes not only to group A, but also to group B. But the winners of groups B, C and D in the next draw will be the top group.
We fix the regulations. Now let’s deal with the Swiss team. It will not be so easy to do this, because many have already rushed to enroll the Alpine team as an outsider in our quartet. And in vain. Because behind the relatively modest “facade” of this team, you can see the real power and character.
How was it. In order not to be unfounded, let us remember, at least, the previous Nations League draw, in which the Swiss were in the same group (A, of course) with the Belgians and Icelanders. The islanders in this trio were clear outsiders, not scoring a single point. The Belgians were considered the favorites to reach the semifinals of the tournament. The 2018 World Cup bronze medalists took home victory with Switzerland. But in Lucerne everything was different. Although at first everything went according to the guests’ scenario: in the 17th minute the hosts were burning 0: 2. But they found the strength not only to level the score, but also to defeat an opponent with more status: 5: 2. Thanks to this victory, it was Vladimir Petkovic’s team that advanced to the semi-finals of the Nations League, where they played for Portugal. True, without success. An attempt by the Swiss to clinch third place was also a failure: they lost on penalties to England.
This is how Switzerland scored five goals for Belgium
In addition to a successful performance in the League of Nations, Switzerland can boast of regularly participating in the final competitions of the World and European Championships. There she is a much more frequent guest than the Ukrainian team. In addition, this team has recently chosen the round of 16 stage in two major soccer forums (Euro 2016, World Cup 2014 and 2018). And even earlier, in the 1930s, the Swiss reached the World Cup quarterfinals twice (in 1934 and 1938), repeating a similar achievement in 1954. So, at least one tough bone of gnaw in world football fell on our opponents. It’s not a joke, of the last eight major international tournaments (Euro or World Cup), the Swiss have not reached just one: Euro 2012. Well, one more thing, not the most revealing, but still: during the last Eight years, the Swiss team in the FIFA rankings did not fall below 12th place.
At Euro 2020, the Swiss, like the Ukrainian national team, fought their way from first place. It wasn’t easy to do it, but anyway: strong Denmark and Ireland were left behind, not to mention Georgia and Gibraltar.
Our trail. However, it is for the Ukrainian fan that the memories of this team are often fond. At the 2006 World Championships, the Swiss national team, having completed its traditional mission – to reach the round of 16, faced Oleg Blokhin’s team to reach the quarter-finals. Ukraine then took a ticket to the top eight thanks to the post-match penalty shootout, in which our goalkeeper Alexander Shovkovsky kept his goal clean. By the way, from that Ukrainian team in the current team, but in a different capacity, there are two people left, the aforementioned Shovkovsky and Andriy Shevchenko, who did not score their penalty: the second now leads our team, his first assistant.
By the way, the next fight in Lviv will be only the third head-to-head showdown for the opponents. We have already remembered the 2006 match, another match was played four years later. Then, in 2010 in Geneva, the opponents were not separated in any way in a peaceful 2: 2 draw.
How are the things going. As for the current situation of the Swiss national team. Recently, the coach of the national team Vladimir Petkovich announced the line-up for the match against our team. There were not three iconic faces on the list. First of all, Stefan Lichtsteiner: the 36-year-old former captain of the Swiss team, having played 108 games for the team, recently decided to leave football.
Another recognizable footballer, Djerdan Shakiri, was not among those called to training camp. However, for another reason: the Liverpool midfielder has another injury. Yes, and with his playing practice, he disagrees: Last season, he only played occasionally for Merseysides.
For damages, Denis Zakaria did not receive a call to the national team. This 24-year-old defensive midfielder from Borussia Gladbach is called the future leader of the national team. It’s not for nothing that ManCity claims it.
But Petkovich’s roster included new Swiss talents and hopes: defenders Akandzhi (Borussia D), Elvedi (Borussia M) and our Wolfsburg friend Mbabu, as well as versatile forward Embolo from Gladbakh Borussia himself. Interestingly, of the 23 players called up by Petkovic, ten will represent the Bundesliga, not the weakest championship.
Coach. The head of the Swiss team is Vladimir Petkovich, a native of Sarajevo. It is no coincidence that Petkovic’s candidacy as a candidate for head coach of the Swiss team emerged. Vladimir for a long time, when he was a soccer player, defended the colors of local clubs and then began his coaching career there. His background includes work at Bellinzona, Lugano, Young Boys, and Sion.
football.ch. Vladimir Petkovich
The Bosnian specialist has replaced the legendary Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has decided to retire from football, as coach of the national team. Under the leadership of Petkovic, who was invited by the Swiss football union Lazio Roma, the Swiss team has achieved significant results. Furthermore, this particular 56-year-old mentor may be considered the most successful national team coach in recent history. Petkovic led the Swiss national team to the European Championship playoffs for the first time, it happened in 2016. Furthermore, under his leadership, the team reached the knockout stages of the 2018 World Cup. His latest achievement in his current position was leading the team to Euro 2020.
This winter, Petkovic has extended his contract with the Swiss national team until the end of the 2022 World Cup. If the Bosnian does not lead Switzerland to the World Cup, then the contract provides for the option of early termination of the employment contract.
Star. Lichsteiner has finished his professional career, Shaqiri and Mehmedi are injured, Zakaria is still too young to pull on the difficult strap of the team leader, so naturally we define Granita Jaku as the main star of the Swiss team.
football.ch. Granite Jack
In principle, this is difficult to argue. Ethnic Albanians play a key role in the center lane of the Swiss national team. And now he’s in a good position at London Arsenal. In any case, in the opening game of the new season, the Super Cup match against Liverpool, the 27-year-old midfielder won from bell to bell. Granite is distinguished by astonishing toughness and sharpness, sometimes beyond the filthy limit, which is why it regularly receives “mustard plasters”. And also in his arsenal, a blow that is surprising in strength and precision. After Lichtsteiner left the national team, Jaka was chosen as the new captain. Its disadvantage is not too high a speed. If Dzhaka in the national team plays in the support zone together with Zakaria, then Denis makes up for the lack of that in his colleague with his speed. But in this case the Borussia breakwater will not be in the selection due to an injury, so Dzhaka will have to remember his youth.
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