The last game of the year is against England

The Swiss footballers end the year on Tuesday with the international match in England. Against the European champions, they want to correct the image that they last gave in the 6-0 defeat against Germany.

It won’t be any easier for the Swiss national team in Sheffield than it was on Friday evening in Letzigrund. England is number 2 in the FIFA rankings, reached the World Cup final in 2023 and will travel to the European Championships in Switzerland next summer as defending champions. It is a second steep hurdle that the Swiss face in the learning process for the home tournament in July.

National coach Pia Sundhage’s resources to respond to Friday’s defeat are limited. Captain Lia Wälti, Luana Bühler, Géraldine Reuteler, Ramona Bachmann and Naomi Luyet are still missing five team members who cannot be replaced. The width of the team is limited, there is no double starting lineup – neither for women nor for men. This is not a surprising finding for a small country in the two most important SFV selections.

The many insights

The good thing about defeats like the one against Germany is the wealth of information they bring with them. The last few days have been about “calmly explaining what we are doing better and how we can do it better,” explained Sundhage. The Swede mentioned two points just minutes after the defeat in front of a record crowd: “I think it’s essential that you work on your physicality, on your ability to survive in duels.” And: You have to play the counterattacks better.

In addition to the obvious findings after the defeat, there are the hidden ones, those that can be seen between the lines, for example in the trainer’s behavior. The 64-year-old remained calm even in the most difficult moment as Swiss national coach. She refrained from individual criticism, but remained true to her style even in the face of headwinds: “We win as a team and lose as a team.” The players, who otherwise don’t play that often, did their best: “They get involved and make their contribution.”

Grow and win

In Sheffield at Bramall Lane, where England last played against Sweden (4-0) in the 2022 European Championship semi-finals, Switzerland will again compete with some players for whom many things in this environment are new. Ten of the 25 players who traveled to England have not played more than five international matches. “We want to grow,” explains Sundhage, looking at the big picture.

The draw against Australia and especially the win against France in October showed that the path taken towards the opening game of the European Championship in Basel is correct. The duels with the big football nations still remain a learning process. You find yourself in quite unknown spheres. Against Germany there was the 18th defeat in the 19th game on Friday and a draw against England is also the best result from twelve matches. Nevertheless, Sundhage promises: “We want to win.” (sda)

Marco Odermatt not only completes an immense amount of work as a skier, but also off the slopes. The ability to quickly recover helps him. However, he does not rule out making adjustments to his racing calendar.

Marco Odermatt is calm in Copper Mountain, Colorado, before the next World Cup races in Beaver Creek, about an hour’s drive away. In the interview he talks, among other things, about his many commitments, joining the sportswear company X-Bionic and the possibility of one day only competing in downhill and super-G.