Switzerland takes care of all the details in its approach to the round of 16 of the Euro against Italy.
A Black Jack was organized on Thursday evening to further strengthen ties, to cultivate the team spirit that has been present since the start of the tournament.
“It screamed everywhere“, summed up Michel Aebischer on Thursday in front of the press to describe this festive evening two days before the big shock. Even if it is too often used, often mocked too, the expression “the group is living well” fits perfectly with the situation.
Even Xherdan Shaqiri, who can only hope for a role as a joker, is going through this Euro with his usual smile and good humor. “Murat Yakin was clear with him from day one about his role in this Eurowe specify within the ASF. Xherdan accepted this choice.”
“Italy is the favorite”
The players, however, know that with this round of 16 they are tackling a summit that will be extremely difficult to climb. “Italy is the favorite in this round of 16thus confirms Michel Aebischer to stay in the line drawn the day before by Remo Freuler. She has experience in this type of match. Above all, she is the title holder.“
Under contract in Bologna since January 2022, the Fribourgeois also knows that the Italians have an absolute horror of defeat. “Nobody likes to lose, of course. But they are different, he blurted. In Italian culture, You always have to win. I felt this particular pressure from my first day in Bologna“, he slips.
“People only talk about footballhe continues. There are the emotions that we experience at the stadium. But football also gives rhythm to people’s daily lives. If you accomplish a good deed, your neighbor or the person who serves you at the restaurant will be sure to tell you about it. In Italy, football is the number 1 sport and this is true every day.”
What defense?
This round of 16 will therefore not be a match like any other for the three “mercenaries” of Bologna Dan Ndoye, Remo Freuler and Michel Aebischer, even if they will not cross paths with their teammate Riccardo Calafiori, suspended after his yellow card received Monday evening against Croatia.
“First of all, it will be necessary to defend well“, warns Michel Aebischer. The suspension of Silvan Widmer redistributes a few cards in this area. Leonidas Stergiou should logically replace him. But with Murat Yakin, one must, as we know, never swear about anything. The rumor thus gives a certain credence to the hypothesis of a tenure of Steven Zuber which would force Michel Aebischer to change sides.
However, such a choice seems improbable given that the Fribourgeois has formed a perfect pair with Ricardo Rodriguez for three matches. “We found our automatisms“, he congratulates himself.
An open table
Michel Aebischer and his teammates have, of course, taken a look at this round of 16 table. Switzerland could reach the final without having to eliminate Spain, France, Portugal or Germany.
“We clearly saw that our table could openhe smiles. But it would be absurd to already plan for the future. Let’s wait for the match on Saturday. If we win it, then we can really study this painting.“Who would propose a quarter-final against an England which is currently suffering or Slovakia, and a semi-final against Austria, Turkey, Romania or the Netherlands.
“All counters are now reset to zero, rightly recalls Michel Aebischer. No more matches will be easy to play.” Starting of course with that of Saturday against Italy, a country where football is king, where defeat is quite simply prohibited.
ats/nm
