Football: Fayulu or Lindner, which goalkeeper should Sion field?

FC Sion has still not found its way to victory but at least it has already avoided the worst by standing up to St. Gallen at home, in front of its formidable audience. For the visitor, this draw at Kybunpark (1-1) is almost equivalent to a small victory without bringing them the three points they hoped for.

However, the Valais club (9th) will absolutely have to obtain these three points this Sunday against Lucerne at home to stop worrying, having not won for 9 matches and seeing the leading group gently take the lead. Wouldn’t the best way to ensure maintenance (the objective of its leaders) still be to participate in the final round?

Which goalkeeper should FC Sion leave with: after his inconsiderate gesture on October 27 against Saint-Gall, which earned him two suspension matches, should Timothy Fayulu naturally return to his cage? Or will the Tourbillon coach, eager to cause a saving spark, make Heinz Lindner his new No. 1? In both cases, we can well imagine the consequences of such a decision.

At 25, Fayulu embodies the future; he is also the one who has the highest market value (1 million euros currently according to the specialized site Transfermarkt) when a transfer abroad will sooner or later arrive for him. Since his return to Tourbillon, it is no coincidence that Tholot has made him his indisputable holder. Apart from a few restarts so risky that they sometimes become dangerous, nothing could fundamentally be blamed on the Genevan until his recent “loss of temper”.

The case of his direct competitor differs significantly… After overcoming his cancer, which had left him sidelined for several months, Heinz Lindner (34 years old) arrives at the end of his contract in Valais. Loaned to Belgium – to Union Saint-Gilloise – last January, the experienced Austrian goalkeeper must legitimately dream of one last freelance role. This would argue for a departure during the next winter transfer window, which would allow his current employer to receive some money…

If the cards are perhaps being reshuffled at Tourbillon, it is because Lindner delivered two impressive performances in his role as troubleshooter. Even though he was left to his own devices, he first disgusted the FC Zurich attackers for a very long time before delivering the goods again on Saturday evening in St. Gallen.

Two XXL performances which could encourage his coach to review the order of priorities… or not. On the one hand, sentencing Fayulu to the bench means taking the risk of calling an option that has proven itself offside, not to mention the consequences on a human level. On the other hand, Tholot, at a time when his team is dangerously plateauing, could be tempted to cause a psychological shock by modifying his defense, which he has already started to do by leaving Reto Ziegler on the bench.

The truth is that FC Sion, after so many others before it, is in the process of experimenting with having two excellent goalkeepers – certainly with a different style – in its ranks. Ultimately, his coach could also decide to choose the alternation card, drawing inspiration from the Servette FC model. where Jérémy Frick (7 league matches) and Joël Mall (6) take turns between the garnet posts.

However, our little finger tells us that it should decide by this Sunday definitively in favor of one, but which one? Fayulu or Lindner, which goalkeeper will we see in action for the rest of the championship?

If it is of course impossible to slip into Tholot’s head, it is however possible to deliver a trend through the survey that offers you lematin.ch.