Brazil, Serbia, Cameroon! The Swiss national football team is caught in a difficult World Cup group.
the essentials in brief
- As in 2018, Switzerland will be drawn against the Brazilians and the Serbs as World Cup opponents.
- Cameroon completes the group, they are tough nations.
- In an interview, Murat Yakin talks about the dangers and opportunities.
The draw for the 2022 World Cup gave Switzerland three strong opponents in Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon. Coach Murat Yakin sees it differently: “If we survive the preliminary round, a lot will be possible for us,” he told SDA.
Of course it was clear to him: “We are facing a huge challenge. These three opponents are very strong, that’s for sure.” But the Swiss national team has also developed further in recent years.
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“She also gained experience. These are players who want to achieve something in a finals and can go very far, they proved that. I think the Brazilians, the Serbs and the Cameroonians know that very well. And that they don’t like playing against us,” Yakin said.
Swiss national team prepares against big opponents
Before things get really serious in Qatar, the Nations League and some tests are waiting. “We have the Nations League with four games in June and two games in September against Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic. We are already faced with a major challenge here. Then we’ll probably play a friendly in Dubai before we meet Cameroon.”
The tests are also important, after all, you only play at the World Cup on the fourth day. You can also watch the World Cup opponents before the final round. We can see Serbia in the Nations League. And I think that Brazil and Cameroon will come to Europe for friendly matches in the summer.”
However, he is not worried, “because our analysts are doing a very good job.”
It is still unclear whether 26 players will be allowed to travel to Qatar, which Yakin would welcome. However, only “if we are allowed to put all 26 players on the match sheet. Sending three of them to the stands, as was the case at the European Championship, is not ideal. It is important that we fill all positions twice.”
Will the Swiss national team survive the hammer group with Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon?
The Swiss national team coach adds: “In itself, 20 field players and three goalkeepers for three, four or five games seems reasonable to me. But I wouldn’t be averse to adding another central defender or striker to this list either.”
Do you already have the line-up of the Swiss national team for the World Cup in mind?
Yakin says that there are currently not many open positions in the Swiss national team. “If the injured return, we really have a very good team. There are players who can draw on their experience and others who bring their temperament to bear.”
The latter includes Noah Okafor, who made his debut last fall. “We had been watching him in Salzburg for a long time, he played, scored and had a good pace. In Rome against Italy he played from the start for the first time. And delivered a performance that matched those in the club.”
Regarding the line-up, it can only be assumed that Yakin will play with a four-man defense. “Before that, everything is open. You can play in a 4-2-3-1, but you can also interpret this as a 4-4-1-1. Those who are fit and in rhythm and who bring something to the team will play.”
The game system is not a dogma. «Granit, Remo and Denis can also play together. There’s nothing stopping me from getting all three from the start. I’m flexible.”
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