Football
What role does Alisha Lehmann play and how great is the EM euphoria? These are the findings from the women’s national team’s test matches
Draw against Australia, win against France. The Swiss women’s national team tested extremely successfully against two top nations. These are the findings from the two games.
The home European Championships are coming up next summer. With this in mind, the Swiss women’s national team is testing against several top nations. In the game against Australia last Friday, the Swiss fought for a draw (1:1), and this Tuesday evening they were even able to defeat the French (2:1). What lessons can you take away from these first two test matches?
Lia Wälti – the best player on the pitch
Key figure: Lia Wälti is indispensable for the Swiss national team.
Jean-Christophe Bott / EPA
After an injury break of over eight months, Lia Wälti led the Swiss national team back onto the field for the first time against Australia. And proved once again why she is indispensable as a captain. “The best player on the field,” praised national coach Pia Sundhage after the game, “Wälti makes the others better with her game.” Her teammate Nadine Riesen also agrees. She speaks of having the midfielder on the pitch as a “huge help”.
This can also be seen in the game against France this Tuesday evening. While her teammates are happy about Ramona Bachmann’s 1-0 win, Wälti uses the interruption to give instructions. Even if Sundhage still wants to try out a few things before the home European Championships start: Lia Wälti will lead the Swiss if, as she herself says, they “want to achieve something big” next summer.
The boys in the national team
Achieve something big. Iman Beney, Sydney Schertenleib and Naomi Luyet also want that. The three teenagers showed in the two test matches why they deserved their selection.
Wonderful shot: 18-year-old Luyet makes it 2-1.
Jean-Christophe Bott / KEYSTONE
While Beney tunnels through two Australians one after the other, Luyet hits the right corner against France with a beautiful shot, not only scoring her debut goal but also the winning goal. And Schertenleib, who moved to FC Barcelona’s youth team this summer, also has a promising future.
“I am sure that the three will be important for us,” said Wälti after the game against Australia, “I really enjoy them.” The trio is well on the way to becoming indispensable for the national team and not only being in the squad but also on the field next summer.
The role of Alisha Lehmann
In Letzigrund it gets louder when she comes on than it usually does when she scores the equalizer. Alisha Lehmann is still a crowd favorite in the Swiss national team, even though she recently had to miss out on the starting eleven. The 25-year-old was only on the field for about five minutes against Australia and the entire second half against France. Nevertheless, the question arises: What role does Lehmann really play in the Nati?
When asked about her role, Sundhage doesn’t have a clear answer. She simply says: “We need options. Every player has her strengths, they are all different types of players.” Lehmann was able to prove several times in the game against France that she is a good player; she even almost made it 3-1. It remains to be seen whether she will still get the chance to play from the start in the future. What is clear, however, is that she will play a role at the home European Championships one way or another as a crowd puller and fan favorite.
On and off the field: Alisha Lehmann captivates fans big and small.
Jean-Christophe Bott / KEYSTONE
The new system works
For the first time, the Swiss are playing with a three-man defense under Sundhage. This may work, or it may not. In the case of Switzerland, after two test matches we can say: it works. “The longer training sessions were definitely worth it,” said Riesen after the game against Australia. Sundhage agrees and always talks about how important it is to have different options in order to be successful.
“It is important that we can play variably and have two or three systems in our backpacks so that we can surprise opponents,” agrees captain Wälti. She is also pleased that the newly implemented system works so well. So you’ll definitely see it at the European Championships.
The euphoria was ignited
Speaking of joy: Through the test matches against top teams like Australia and France, the Swiss wanted to increase the anticipation of the 2025 European Championship at home and ignite the euphoria in Switzerland.
The Swiss cheer. They not only won against France, but also captivated many spectators.
Pascal Muller/Freshfocus / freshfocus
Two games and a record number of spectators later, it can be said: they succeeded. The players agreed after the first test match in Letzigrund that it was overwhelming to play in front of so many spectators. Over 14,000 people were in the stadium, which is by far a record. “We hope that we were able to inspire those who were there today,” says Wälti. Just a few days later, there were over 10,000 people in the stadium at the Stade de Genève – so the Swiss are definitely looking forward to the European Championships.
