“But how can the Swiss team display two such different faces?” – rts.ch

Present in the national framework at Euro 2004 in Portugal, Sébastien Roth, former goalkeeper for Delémont, Servette and Lorient in particular, takes an uncompromising look at the Swiss team at the end of this 2024 financial year full of ups and downs.

RTSsport.ch: Sébastien Roth, Switzerland’s year ended Monday evening with another defeat in Spain, after a quarter-final at the Euro and therefore a rout in the Nations League…

SEBASTIEN ROTH: And this year ends with many questions. How can this team display two such different faces? I’m certainly not a fan of the Nations League, but even more than the results, it’s the manner that disappoints me in the fall outings. Fortunately, Switzerland had its improvement at the right time, at the Euro! But how is it possible to go from everything to almost nothing in such a short time? If I had the answer, I would give it to you…

RTSsport.ch: Murat Yakin is often ridiculed, least of all his players. Some say that the Euro was a stroke of luck for the coach!

SEBASTIEN ROTH: I’m not considering that for a single moment! Murat has played in some big tournaments as a player, he has played in big clubs and has qualities. He is someone who has a real ability to unite a team around a specific objective. He’s a bon vivant, a nice guy, who knows how to get a group to follow him in a major competition, to create the right atmosphere for a meeting like this. On the other hand, perhaps it is more difficult for him on one-off events, of 6-7 days, etc…

RTSsport.ch: But we can also ask the question in the other direction: do some players also have difficulty getting “in” for these Nations League matches?

SEBASTIEN ROTH: Quite! It’s also frustrating to see this team capable of excelling in a tournament, but not following through. So yes, knowing how to raise your level of play as was done at the Euro is a definite skill, but you have to be able to beat Denmark and Serbia, at least once, in order not to sink. Some brandish excuses, mention refereeing, bad luck, etc. But luck happens. And hey, I’m of the opinion that it’s better to look inside the group for what we’ve done wrong rather than looking for things outside.

It’s frustrating to see this team capable of excelling in a tournament, but not following up…

RTSsport.ch: This year, we saw a Swiss team sometimes without certainty, particularly in terms of the playing system…

SEBASTIEN ROTH: This team lacks a clear identity. Yes, the system changes a lot, but people have also changed quite a bit at times. Some times out of obligation, others not. Murat Yakin has tried a lot of things, but I think that for the good of a team, and even if the players have to know how to play in different systems, at some point you have to make a decision, decide and stick to it. With Switzerland, you never know if they will press, not press, make the play, not make the play, etc. What is the project, what is the philosophy?

RTSsport.ch: We talked about the negative. In the positive column is of course the Euro…

SEBASTIEN ROTH: Ah yes, the improvement I was talking about took place at the ideal time. Remember, however, that everything was not perfect in Germany either, like the match against Scotland. But yes, you eliminate Italy and you make an impression. As with France during the previous edition. From Euro 2020, everyone only remembered that, while the 3 group matches were really mediocre. This year, Switzerland has had a few successes, that’s all. For a successful vintage, it would have been necessary to be able to continue, to show that it has grown.

The national team is not the Campaign Tournament. Yes, it’s good to want to integrate people, but after a while, a selection has to be earned…

RTSsport.ch: Now, let’s head to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which will not be easy. How do you feel about Switzerland?

SEBASTIEN ROTH: It looks complicated, but the national team already has the chance to be seeded before the draw in mid-December, which could allow it to have a more accessible group. On paper, it should be playable. Still, he will have to do better than the last three months. It’s up to Murat Yakin to define a real framework, with more than 11 players, in order to have a solid structure in order to approach this deadline in the best possible conditions. The time for testing is over, in my eyes. The national team is not the Campaign Tournament. Yes, it’s good to want to integrate people, but after a while, a selection is earned.

RTSsport.ch: Some new ones still showed interesting things. Could this also push the regular holders to give a little more in the future?

SEBASTIEN ROTH: This is one of the questions that arise today, yes. For this, the coach would have to go in this direction, to use the performances of Kutesa, Monteiro, Amenda and others to create real and healthy competition, to shake up the group. I have often had the impression, in recent months, that 11, 12, 13 players did not risk much. There, Murat Yakin perhaps holds something for the group, a lever, a weapon, to energize his team.

Arnaud Cerutti