The Young Boys don’t look good in the 5-0 defeat in Barcelona. The groundbreaking game against the next FCB follows in the championship on Sunday.
Of course, it’s no shame for a Swiss club to lose away to FC Barcelona – not even by this amount. The differences in the financial possibilities of the clubs and in the quality of the squad are too great. The fact that there was a certain disappointment among the Bernese after the game in the Olympic Stadium was due to the team’s performance, which, as so often in recent weeks, seemed unsettled.
Like Aston Villa, Barcelona didn’t have to try particularly hard to achieve success against the Swiss champions. Against the English, the Young Boys took themselves out of the game due to their own mistakes; against the Spaniards they were inferior in all respects. They were too hesitant in the duels and simply lost too many balls, said Jaouen Hadjam after the game. Meanwhile, his defensive colleague Lewin Blum said almost obsequiously: “It was incredible to see this dominant passing game from Barcelona on the pitch. It wasn’t always pretty, we had to run after a lot. But it shows us where we still have to work.”
“We imagined the start of the season to be different”
There was little sign of the self-image that YB had developed internationally in recent years. In 2021, the Bernese beat Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 of the Europa League, and in the following Champions League campaign there was a home win against Manchester United and a draw away. Even last year, when there were a total of four defeats in the duels with Manchester City and RB Leipzig, the players were able to leave the pitch with their heads held high. Because anyone who wanted to win against YB had to work hard for victory.
This cannot currently be said. “The self-confidence is certainly not the best at the moment,” confirmed Blum. The reason is clear: YB is not getting anywhere in the championship and, after their first win of the season against Winterthur last weekend, they promptly suffered the next setback with the 1-0 home defeat against GC. The Bernese team only got six points in eight rounds: it is their weakest start to the championship in the Super League era (since 2003). “We clearly imagined the start of the season to be different,” said Blum.
“Know what situation we are in”
The big challenge now is to find the old self-confidence with which YB has sometimes been able to force victories in recent years. But how? For Blum it is clear: “Back to the basics. We have to act as a team again, give full throttle and put the opponent under pressure with high intensity.” Meanwhile, Hadjam spoke about staying positive and continuing to work hard in training. They are anything but groundbreaking recipes, which also reflect a little of the current lack of ideas on the pitch.
However, effective measures are urgently needed now, because the football business is notoriously impatient. With every defeat, the pressure on the team and especially on coach Patrick Frame increases. “We know what situation we are in. But I also feel that everyone wants to get out of there as quickly as possible,” said Blum.
The next chance to do this is on Sunday. Then there is the championship classic against FC Basel, which is also currently in a bear market. Shortly before the national team break, both teams – and especially both coaches – need a sense of success.
