28.06.2024 11:13
Everything is ready for Switzerland – Italy
What has been carefully put in place for weeks must now bear fruit: after a pleasant and above all quiet first round, Switzerland is in the round of 16 of the Euro and will face the great Italy on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
In a way, the starting situation is similar to that of a year and a half ago during the world championship in Qatar. At the time, Switzerland missed a goal in the final group match to claim victory. Unable to do so, Murat Yakin’s team faced Portugal instead of South Korea. The round of 16 took place in Lusail, where the final also took place two weeks later. Silvan Widmer was absent due to illness.
And now: In the last group match, a goal conceded in the 92nd minute prevented Switzerland from winning the group. The opponent in the round of 16 will therefore not be Denmark, but Italy. The match will take place in Berlin, in the stadium of the final. Silvan Widmer is suspended.
The national team has learned from its mistakes, the players and the coach are behaving thoughtfully, the mood is different. There is something in the air around the venerable, somewhat isolated Waldau stadium, where the Swiss have been training for almost three weeks.
A “much more pleasant” atmosphere
It’s often the nuances that make the difference. Thus, the campaign in Qatar was placed under the star of wanting to make history. And the Swiss of course still want it, otherwise they wouldn’t even have needed to travel. But this time, they gave up making it their motto. Instead, the slogan of this tournament is simply: “We are Switzerland.”
The players are confident, but calm. Even captain Granit Xhaka said straight away that he wouldn’t set high goals this time around. In Leverkusen, where he celebrated the double last season, he did well looking at things game after game. He has “set himself a challenge” which he does not wish to share with the public.
At press conferences, there is no longer talk of politically charged duels or disease-causing fans in hotel rooms. Instead, gamers talk about who plays what games in their free time. The atmosphere is “naturally much more pleasant” than in Qatar, declares Michel Aebischer. “Everyone knows what it’s about. Everyone is focused. If the media doesn’t have much to write about, that’s a compliment to us.”
Emerging debates are generally nipped in the bud. The question of number 1 in goals: settled a long time ago. The coach’s contract extension: postponed until after the tournament. The problems with the training pitch in Stuttgart: a bit laborious, but ultimately not a problem.
Without additional pressure, but with confidence
Yakin has just as masterfully sidestepped a new discussion about the right-back. In order to replace Widmer, he has called up Leonidas Stergiou, he noted just after the last group game. The fact that the 22-year-old is actually a central defender by training and only started six times last season for VfB Stuttgart does not seem to play a big role for the national coach.
Finally, the Swiss skillfully rejected the role of favourite. And this despite the fact that the Azzurri did not leave an overwhelming impression in the group stage and ultimately owed their qualification to a goal scored in the 98th minute. But Italy is Italy, said Remo Freuler. And Aebischer also briefly pointed out that the opponent was none other than the current European champion. And that’s not all: he is also a four-time world champion (the last in 2006 in Germany) and unbeaten against Switzerland for 31 years.
By evoking the great history of their opponent, the Swiss players deliberately avoid putting additional pressure on themselves, without forgetting their own qualities. Because when asked what is in Switzerland’s favor in the round of 16, Aebischer replied: “The preliminary round, our team spirit, we defend well and are just as good on the ball.”
► Information on the match in Berlin will follow as soon as possible
► Everything you need to know about the opponent in the round of 16, Italy.
ASF / with material from Keystone-ATS / translated with deepL.com
