At 99%, the national team managed to deliver a perfect match on Sunday evening. 1% is enough for a big nation like Germany to escape with a draw. While it may have felt like a defeat to the fans and players for a few minutes, there’s no reason to be sad about the group’s 2nd place finish. In many aspects, this Swiss team was simply exceptional. The defense, around Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez and Fabian Schär, did an excellent job with almost no errors. The pressing was world class at times. The Germans certainly had the ball, but Switzerland prevented any dangerous actions. The plan with Fabian Rieder in the starting lineup, which kept Toni Kroos busy for a long time, worked perfectly.
And this is precisely what will give our future adversaries big headaches. Whether it is Italy, Croatia or Albania in the round of 16, I am convinced that no nation wants to play against us. We don’t have to be afraid of anyone, because all countries now respect us even more. Against Hungary, Scotland and Germany, the Nati deployed three completely different strategies. From my experience, I can assure you that Switzerland is the most annoying team in the tournament for opposing coaches. This team is unpredictable and you can’t prepare to face them because you simply don’t know how they will play. This is a new quality and has rarely been seen in the history of the national team.
The Nati is tactically unpredictable and what’s more, demonstrates limitless self-confidence. As a player, I can tell you that you sleep wonderfully after a match like Sunday. When you know that you can deliver such a performance against the big teams in this tournament, you also know that anything is possible in the future. And then there is also Family Day on Monday after the match, where you can spend time with your loved ones or your children, eat something good and maybe not just talk about football. Just get out of your hotel room. My mind was always fresh after that and I felt like a new person the next day.
It is also necessary, because from Saturday the most important phase of this tournament begins. From now on, defeat is forbidden. Every mistake made can have extreme consequences. I’m not worried about Leonidas Stergiou playing in place of the suspended Silvan Widmer at right back. Yes, he will be nervous. Yes, he will be put under pressure by the opponents. Yes, he will need help from his teammates. But he has also received the full confidence of Murat Yakin and he now has until Saturday to realize his role.
