Five players who stood out in the international match between Switzerland and England.

Jonas Omlin: Surprisingly little focus

The goalkeeper is only number 3 in the national team hierarchy behind Yann Sommer and Gregor Kobel, but after a strong season so far at the French Ligue 1 club Montpellier, he is given a chance to play against England – because Sommer is out due to Corona. Omlin is surprisingly little tested in his third international match, he performs confidently and holds what there is to hold. He has no chance when it comes to conceding goals, and the goalie is in the right corner when Harry Kane took the almost perfect penalty to make it 2-1.

Omlin stands for two developments in the Swiss selection on Saturday evening: on the one hand for the improved breadth in the squad, on the other hand for a self-image that manifests itself in a self-confident, almost dominant appearance before the break – and in little work for the goalkeeper.

Fabian Frei: The fatal bad pass before England equalized

Still a little unexpected, Fabian Frei has established himself as an all-rounder under national coach Murat Yakin. Yakin needed him in central midfield last fall, and the 33-year-old will play in central defense on Saturday evening in London because Nico Elvedi is rested and Fabian Schär is injured. Frei makes an impressive start to the match, he is as usual good at passing, calm on the defensive, courageous in triggering attacks. And he almost made it 2-0 before the break. But the English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford deflects Frei’s shot reflexively to the crossbar.

Frei was excellent for 45 minutes in the first half, but at the beginning of injury time he made a fatal mistake that England used to equalize. Yakin demands a well-groomed structure from his players, he doesn’t want defenders who hit the ball forward without a plan – but Frei mustn’t make such a mistake. “We distributed gifts,” says Yakin after the 2-1 defeat, “and a team like England punishes that coldly.” After the break, Frei is less style-defining alongside the strong duel Manuel Akanji, he allows himself the odd disorientation in the positional play.

granite Xhaka: With a surprising number of errors

Granit Xhaka is playing for the first time under national coach Murat Yakin – and once again in the stadium where he made his international debut in 2011. In the days before the test match at Wembley, the captain gave his usual bold votes, spoke of the world title as a goal and
from immediately being the boss of the team again. Xhaka then organizes the Swiss game, he wants the ball, he gets the ball, he distributes the ball. And he shoots dangerously at the English goal in the middle of the first half. However, Xhaka makes a remarkable number of bad passes, sometimes without pressure, he is far from brilliance and dominance.

And when his strong-running partner Remo Freuler is substituted, Xhaka disappears, he is no longer a factor in the final phase. He is self-confident after the encounter, when he gets upset about the rule of the hand and finds it “pukes”, because of that and after one
intervention of the video referee to have lost. Opinions can be divided about the rule of hands and the VAR, but according to the rules Steven Zuber undermined a handball before the penalty kick to make it 2-1.

For Granit Xhaka, after the international match at his home in London on Tuesday, things continue emotionally – with the international match in Zurich against Kosovo and thus against the country of his family roots. It is his 100th appearance in the national team. And Xhaka has none
Raise doubts about wanting to overtake the record national player Heinz Hermann (118 international matches).

Xherdan Shaqiri: The most conspicuous footballer before the break

Even ahead of Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri could surpass Heinz Hermann’s mark. He is playing his 101st international match in London and proves that he has lost none of his playfulness and ball skills at his new club Chicago Fire. Shaqiri is the most conspicuous footballer in the first half, he creatively initiates some attacks, his cross on goal scorer Breel Embolo before the 1-0 for the Swiss is accurate and of exquisite quality.

Shaqiri hits the post with a sharp corner kick, but takes a few breaks after the break and until he is substituted. Like his teammates, he blatantly decreases. Which also has to do with the fact that the English have some top players for the time being
rest and substitute outstanding footballers such as Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Raheem Sterling.

Breel Embolo: He is getting stronger and more dangerous

Perhaps Xherdan Shaqiri or Granit Xhaka will only have a few years to look forward to if they set an international record. Breel Embolo could overtake them at some point. In England, the striker is playing his 51st game for Switzerland just a few weeks after his 25th birthday. In 2021, Embolo has finally developed into a kind of goalgetter in the national team, he scored four of his only eight international goals up to Saturday last year. And in London he hits the Swiss lead early on with a fine header, he has been active for a long time, assertive, and likes to run. However, the guests could even lead 3-0, Embolo’s goal is a meager reward for a strong performance in the first half.

One gets the impression that the robust Embolo is getting stronger and more muscular, he is now, belatedly, the convincing Swiss hope in attack that he should have been for many years. Whereby also applies to the offensive: The selection has become wider, Noah Okafor, for example, is rested in London because of slight muscle problems. Wingers Ruben Vargas and especially Renato Steffen hardly performed like Embolo against a long-modest England side. Also because of that
resulted in Murat Yakin’s first defeat as national coach.