Geneva and Zurich will fight for a place in the Champions League final on Wednesday at Les Vernets and next Tuesday when they return to Zurich. A breath of fresh air for two clubs looking for each other.
The last two Swiss champions. The two clubs that won the European Cup. Zurich accomplished this feat in 2009, Geneva imitated it last year. Except that the glorious past finds no echo in the present. Or at least not since the start of 2025.
The two clubs are not going through this season in the same way. Geneva, poor 11th in the National League, is currently fighting for a place in the play-in, while Zurich (4th) is near the top, even if the reigning champion has suffered four defeats in its last five games.
On the other hand, both organizations experienced a change of coach during the end-of-year holidays. The one at the end of Lake Geneva was expected. The one on the Altstetten side surprised many people.
Cadieux and Crawford no longer there
In Geneva, Jan Cadieux was replaced by his two assistants Yorick Treille and Rikard Franzen and the results are currently not up to the club’s ambitions. In seven matches, the duo has recorded three victories for four defeats or eight points out of 21 possible. Insufficient.
On the banks of the Limmat, Marco Bayer had to succeed in disaster from Marc Crawford who withdrew to treat mental problems. In five games, the Lions collected four points with a narrow victory in Langnau (1-0) and a defeat on penalties in the derby against Kloten while they led 4-1.
We cannot therefore speak of two clubs with confidence when approaching this semi-final first leg of the European Cup. But yet, on the European scene, Eagles and Lions are performing very well. It seems, especially for Geneva, that continental air brings back pleasure. ‘We don’t play any differently in the European Cup than in the championship, analyzes Simon Le Coultre. There’s probably something mental behind it, but I don’t know how to explain it.’
Too little training
The fact of having replaced the main coach with his assistants demonstrated a desire not to upset everything. ‘We kept a lot of basics, especially on the defensive level, continues Simon Le Coultre. We changed two or three details.’
However, with a very full schedule, Geneva has few opportunities to train. ‘That’s the real problem,’ believes the garnet rearguard. Learning takes place in matches and it’s different. The calendar is not an excuse, but it is more difficult to find automatisms at the line level.’
Suspended for five matches in the league after hitting an official with his stick, Sakari Manninen will be on the ice to help his teammates. Perhaps this will allow the Eagles to have that impactful first line.
As for Simon Le Coultre, he says he is still looking for his form. ‘I must be having the worst season of my career,’ he concludes. But I continue to work to reverse this trend. And that translates into all aspects of the game, not just offensively.’
/ATS
