Fabian Rieder neatly against Brazil

And suddenly Fabian Rieder is actually standing down on the lawn in Stadium 974 in Doha, the national anthem is playing, in a few moments the second Swiss World Cup game against Brazil will begin. You don’t know if your knees are trembling, as Rieder says they were when he came on as a late substitute in the 1-0 win against Cameroon four days earlier. On the left wing.

Rieder replaces Xherdan Shaqiri, who has a thigh injury, against Brazil. On the right wing. At his club YB, Rieder is basically used in central midfield, he is the playmaker of the sovereign Super League leader. Safe on the ball, calm, style-defining.

Murat Yakin immediately and unconditionally fell in love with Rieder’s talents. The national coach only saw him on the training ground for the first time two weeks ago, during the first session in Qatar. Since then, Yakin has been enthusiastic about Rieder’s diligence, his willingness to learn, the switching values ​​​​in terms of the offensive to the defensive.

Rieder, the model student. His career is progressing rapidly. At 18 he made his debut in the Super League, at 19 he scored his dream goal in the Champions League at Old Trafford against Manchester United, at 20 he was nominated for the World Cup and his first international match against Cameroon.

Rieder is actively helping to slow down Vinicius Junior

With Shaqiri out like Noah Okafor against Brazil, the coach doesn’t hesitate to field the model student. Four hours before the start of the game, Yakin tells Rieder that he should relax, play his game, “give everything” – that’s how Rieder tells it. He was nervous, things certainly didn’t go well, maybe he lacked courage, he hadn’t known the boys that long, but he was satisfied and gave everything. As the boss requested. Or as right-back Silvan Widmer puts it: “Fabian Rieder left his heart on the pitch.”

Rieder’s record of work: diligent, unobtrusive, a few bad passes, a few good transition moments – although he was late once in Brazil’s best chance before the break through Vinicius Junior. Above all, Rieder is: aggressive. After twenty seconds the first foul on Vinicius Junior, shortly after the break the warning, a little later the substitution.

It is certainly a coincidence of the game that Fred was also warned shortly after Rieder and was substituted a little later at the same time. Fred is something of a terror to many Brazilian football fans because he embodies everything the national team shouldn’t represent. Fred is a staid worker, devoid of genius and refinement, he runs and toils in midfield.

Neymar, heart and soul of the team, is sorely missed by the Brazilians

The Brazilian national coach Tite chose a spectacularly courageous line-up against Serbia in the 2-0 win in the opening game of the World Cup. Against the Swiss, he replaced the injured Neymar with Fred of all people. craft instead of art. Back home in Brazil, Seleção fans shake their heads in horror, while Neymar is missing a lot in Doha.

There were voices here and there that Neymar’s absence would not weaken Brazil. How false these statements were is evident on Monday at Stadium 974. Carrying the hopes of footballing nation like a heavy piano on his slender shoulders, Neymar is the heart and soul of the squad, their emotional leader.

It’s definitely not a coincidence that the Brazilians are more enthusiastic and enthusiastic about playing when Fred is no longer there. One of his legacy is, after all, one of the most poetic phrases in football history, as he described his role on the pitch: “I carry the piano so the artists can play.”

Fabian Rieder can be both, piano bearer and artist. Against Brazil, he dutifully helps that Vinicius Junior hardly ever has room to show off his speed. Perhaps it is a coincidence of the game that Widmer has significantly more problems at back right when Rieder’s replacement Renato Steffen is on the field. Or maybe not.