Even before the start of the 2014 World Cup, Switzerland come to the tournament with an advantage: they have already silenced—and confused—their critics with a remarkable campaign leading up to Brazil, which resulted in a top ranked seeding and a well-earned “dark horse” status.
Having not qualified for the 2012 UEFA European Championship and giving a lackluster performance—save Gelson Fernandes’ lone goal against Spain in the Group Stage—during the 2010 World Cup, it is not a surprise that Switzerland have largely been ignored as a threat this time around. However, the team impressed on their way through qualifiers and have risen to the giddy height of 6th in the FIFA World Ranking, nestled in between Argentina and Uruguay.
The truth is, on paper, the Schweizer Nati are impressive.
The squad
Switzerland’s defence is something to be envied. With veteran goalkeeper—and Jimmy Fallon doppelgänger—Diego Benaglio in net and a very strong backline featuring Wolfsburg’s Ricardo Rodriguez and Juventus’ Stephan Lichtsteiner, the Swiss defense is almost as impenetrable as their banking system.
In reality though Switzerland will need to work much harder on finding the back of the net more often if they want to make some noise on the world’s stage. However they arrive in Brazil with four young forwards who between them have 9 goals from a combined 50 caps; not statistics to scare teams.
Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Having taken over the team from Swiss legend Jakob “Kobi” Kuhn after a disastrous 2008 UEFA European Championship, Ottmar Hitzfeld has been grooming this current squad to reflect a new era of Swiss soccer.
Hitzfeld has spent his entire playing and coaching career bouncing between Switzerland and Germany, making him no stranger to Swiss football. His impressive resume includes domestic league and cup titles in both countries, as well as being one of only five managers to win the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs: Borussia Dortmund (1996 – 1997) and Bayern Munich (2000 – 2001). In fact, Hitzefeld has won at least one trophy for every club he has managed, except for SC Zug— now defunct.
Switzerland will be hoping that Hitzfeld’s success continues, giving the well-respected coach one more achievement before his retirement, effective immediately after the World Cup. Lazio’s Vladimir Petkovic has already been named his successor; the Bosnian coach is already familiar with Swiss football, previously in charge at BSC Young Boys (2008 – 2011).
Key Player: Gokhan Inler
This will be the first time the 29 year old Napoli midfielder will be the starting captain for Switzerland in a World Cup, having been given the armband on the retirement of Alexander Frei in 2010. And though his role in the team may be new, his position is not; Inler has been playing for the national team for nearly a decade.
Inler will also feel comfortable with the Napoli-heavy midfield, with two of his San Paolo teammates—Blerim Dzemaili, and Valon Behrami—assisting him in moving the ball around the pitch. Other Serie A colleagues include Reto Ziegler (Sassuolo) and Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), anchoring Switzerland’s defence.
Inler will be tested physically on the pitch as well as mentally; he will need to act as the bridge between the old Swiss Guard and the new players, many of whom are playing in their first major senior tournament. However, if Switzerland’s performance leading up to the World Cup is anything to go by, Inler has settled into his role of Captain just fine.
One To Watch: Xherdan Shaqiri
Do not let Xherdan Shaqiri’s youthful face, adorable dimples, and Instagram account fool you; this 22 year old has an impressive resume.
Known for his remarkable speed and an accurate left foot, he was signed by Bayern Munich after an impressive 2011 – 2012 season with FC Basel, which included winning the League Championship title, the Swiss Cup, and knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League; Shaqiri assisted in both goals in United’s 2 -1 defeat at the St Jakob-Park. Prior to that, Shaqiri was on the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Team, who came Runners Up to Spain.
He will be vital to much needed goal scoring in order to progress Switzerland to the Round of 16.
How Far Can Switzerland Go?
Switzerland should make it past the Group Stage and have the potential to past the Round of 16. The team previously faced Honduras in the last World Cup and France in the 2006 World Cup, both resulting in 0 – 0.
They need to show being the highest ranked side in Group E is no fluke but that will mean solving their problem in front of goal and Hitzfeld’s team really need to be able to score more than one goal this time around to have any chance of making an impression on the biggest stage of them all.
Prediction: Quarter-Finals
During the 2006 World Cup, Switzerland not once scored during regulation time and would go on to set a World Cup record for number of consecutive minutes played without conceding a goal. Switzerland played 559 minutes—breaking the previous record of 550 minutes held by Italy—until Chile scored against them in a Group Stage match during the 2010 World Cup.
Discovering the midas touch in front of goal to go along with a solid defensive unit will be key to how deep into the tournament the Swiss will go.
