Switzerland qualified for the World Cup without any problems and has long since established itself among the international elite. “Nati” coach Murat Yakin still wants to break new ground against Germany.
By Friday at the latest it will be noticeable how close the World Cup is to the door. At 8:45 p.m. the German national team will face Switzerland in the first of two tests (against Ghana on Monday) in Basel. The “Confederates” are also qualified; like Germany, they have big goals, but also a lot of question marks.
Switzerland doesn’t yet know all of its World Cup opponents
The most obvious thing: Switzerland doesn’t yet fully know who it is preparing for. It is clear that Murat Yakin’s team will have their first World Cup game against Qatar on June 13th and will end the group phase against Canada on June 24th – who comes between them is anyone’s guess. Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina will be the third opponents and Yakin has a clear wish: “In terms of name, Italy would be great. We know them well and I don’t think they would want us.”
When it comes to the “Squadra Azzurra”, the “Nati” coach is self-confident, but when it comes to possible British opponents, he is rather reserved. “It’s mostly more destructive football with a focus on defense and counterattacks; you don’t like playing against teams like that.”said Yakin, who is already entering his third major tournament. In 2022, the 51-year-old reached the round of 16 with Switzerland at the World Cup and two years later even reached the quarter-finals at the European Championships in Germany.
“We will make it very, very difficult for Germany”
The “Nati” will be correspondingly ambitious going into the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, especially since the qualification for this went smoothly. There were four wins, two draws and only two goals conceded against Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, and the last defeat was over 16 months ago. Switzerland is a heavyweight and as such wants to take on another heavyweight – and Germany is always a very welcome opponent.
“You always want to compete against your big neighbor who has had huge successes in the past”said right-back Silvain Widmer. “It’s always nice duels, little derbies”midfielder Remo Freuler was looking forward to the game and promised: “We will make it very, very difficult for Germany.” Switzerland has done this in the recent past; there have been three duels since 2020, all of which ended in a draw.
Special games
Germany and Switzerland – linked in terms of football history
Will it work again with Okafor?
However, the result will not play the biggest role against Germany, because for Switzerland the game will above all be a big tactical and personnel test run. Yakin wants to attack “try two or three things”with Breel Embolo he has only nominated one center forward, but many players who are flexible and can also act in the center. One of them is Noah Okafor, who was nominated again for the first time since the last defeat in Spain (2:3).
This is not due to the skills of the Leeds United attacker, but rather because he did not behave professionally enough at the time. Okafor made no secret of being dissatisfied with his role as a substitute and also publicly criticized the way he was treated. “We had an honest, clarifying and constructive conversation. This is a good basis for Noah’s possible return to the national team.”said sports director Pierluigi Tami recently, now Yakin is actually trying Okafor again.
Opportunity for Bundesliga professionals – new, old role for Zakaria
But the coach’s new simulation games aren’t just in attack. Miro Muheim from Hamburger SV should get the chance against Germany to show what he shows in the Bundesliga. The left-back only made three short appearances in World Cup qualifying. With Johan Manzambi (SC Freiburg), another Bundesliga player will be tested as an offensive string puller and Denis Zakaria, a midfield clearer, will be able to show off his skills in the center of defense.
“I have something special planned for him. But in the end it’s also about whether the player wants to implement this idea.”said Yakin. However, Zakaria knows the role, at AS Monaco he almost always acted as a defender; for the first time he did this under coach Marco Rose at Borussia Mönchengladbach as a central player, almost libero, in the three-man chain. His trademark in this position: clearing up situations at the last moment with power and running strength.
A lot depends on Xhaka
The list of experiments against Germany seems to be long because, despite their successes before the World Cup, Switzerland is still in the phase of self-discovery. But what is clear is that Granit Xhaka is the undisputed boss on the pitch. Bayer Leverkusen is currently painfully experiencing how difficult it is to say goodbye to the defensive midfielder, and AFC Sunderland is currently experiencing with joy how valuable it is to have him in the team.
Xhaka recently celebrated his comeback in the Premier League after an injury break of several weeks. Yakin is also counting on him against Germany, but the two of them have to find the right level of pressure. Less than three months before the World Cup is no time to risk too much. “We have an intensive exchange. I’m not worried, he knows his body. We’ll discuss how long he’ll play for.”said Yakin. Four days after the DFB test, the “Nati” will play against Norway in Oslo.
