On Friday the players enjoyed a rest day and traveled with the short flight to Geneva. Time they could use to clear their heads a bit after the first turbulent game after the European Championship, which cost a lot of nerves. The Swiss side will need to show their sophisticated side against the European champions at the Stade de Genève to avoid a false start in the Nations League.
Even though the game in Denmark ended in a quick manner and nothing but frustration for Switzerland, there were also positives that could be built on or continued. For large parts of the first half, the preparation and pressure were reminiscent of what was achieved at the European Championships. Gregor Kobel made a good debut in goal as Yann Sommer’s replacement. What was amazing was how confidently he connected with his defenders with his foot. A key point in Murat Yakin’s tactical strategy.
Against Spain, Switzerland must above all create more moments of surprise on the offensive. The injured Dan Ndoye was so little motivation that it can now be considered essential. On Sunday evening, the Swiss could benefit from the fact that Spain are also responsible after their goalless draw in Serbia. Lamine Yamal’s team cut their teeth on the defending Serbs and will ensure a more open game than the Danes, who were withdrawn for a long time.
No home win for Spain yet
For the third time in a row, Switzerland will host the defending champions in their first gathering since the European Championships. There was a 2-0 win against Portugal in 2016 and a goalless draw against Italy in 2021. The recent SFV selection has not had a bad experience with Spain, who have been excellent Goodness par against the fear of Switzerland for years. Since the incredible success at the 2010 World Cup, there has been one more win, three draws and two defeats, with the worst defeat – in the quarter-finals of the 2021 European Championship – a statistical only draw.
“We’re looking forward to this game against the European champions,” said Breel Embolo, who scored the winning goal in the 2-1 win at Zaragoza in the Nations League near two years ago. It was only the second success against Spain. A home win is still missing in the almost 100-year history of Swiss-Spanish international duels, which is a record from the Swiss point of view. still clearly negative with 17 losses.
The starting line-up for the first home win against Spain in the sold-out Stade de Genève does not look great with the absence of Nico Elvedi and especially captain Granit Xhaka, who their stops must be served. Embolo does not want to use the absence of the Leverkusen playmaker, who was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, as a possible excuse. “We will miss him a lot, of course. But we have enough space in our team. We have other players who are hungry and want to prove themselves.”
Zakaria’s chance
There are many other options for Xhaka in Murat Yakin’s team, such as Vincent Sierro or Denis Zakaria. The latter started the season well as Monaco captain and could be particularly valuable against Spain given his physicality. Zakaria is undoubtedly one of the hungry players mentioned by Embolo, having played just 22 minutes at the European Championships due to injury. Against Denmark he was on the field for almost half an hour.
It is possible that Yakin, who used all the regulars available from England’s European Championship semi-final against Denmark, will be a little more innovative against Spain. He has strong players on hand for the offensive. Joël Monteiro and Renato Steffen have already shown this season that they can make the difference internationally. Switzerland could really use an offensive boost to turn their good combination play into something that counts.
2024-09-08 16:02:29
#basis #Switzerland #show #teeth
