Goalie Omlin saved Switzerland’s victory against Portugal

Murat Yakin: The time for experiments is over

The national coach Murat Yakin used the four international matches in the Nations League in the last ten days to experiment diligently. Sometimes 4-4-2, sometimes 4-2-3-1, then twice 4-3-3 – whereby the captain Granit Xhaka was allowed to play a more defensive role in the 1-0 win against Portugal in Geneva on Sunday evening than in the 0-1 draw against Portugal Spain three days before. Yakin aligns his tactics and the Swiss system much more closely with the opponent than his predecessor Vladimir Petkovic. He’s not just another Pep Guardiola, who sometimes has to prove to the whole world with strange formations what a great interpreter of tactics he is. But Yakin will now also know that there is not much time left and, above all, that there are not many matches left before the World Cup in Qatar in November. And there, like on Sunday, he shouldn’t forget to put a full-back on the substitutes’ bench.

As of today, Yakin’s line-up at the World Cup could look like this in a 4-3-3: Yann Sommer in goal; before that, a back four with Silvan Widmer, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi and Ricardo Rodriguez; in midfield the Captain Granit Xhaka in the middle as well as Remo Freuler and Denis Zakaria (who is currently injured) or Djibril Sow in the half positions; and Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo are likely to be in attack, while candidates for the third post in attack are Noah Okafor, Haris Seferovic and Ruben Vargas. Shaqiri should tend not to play his favorite role centrally behind the strikers, but on the right wing.

Jonas Omlin: Advantage over Gregor Kobel

With goalkeepers, the hierarchy is clear. At least when it comes to number 1: Yann Sommer is set. Behind them, Gregor Kobel and Jonas Omlin are fighting an exciting duel. One could rate the Dortmund goalie Kobel a little higher, but Omlin has once again collected plus points in the national team.

While Kobel played well in the 0: 4 against Portugal in Lisbon, but was responsible for the fourth goal with an overly motivated excursion, Omlin played calmly and convincingly against the Portuguese on Sunday evening – and saved the combative, solidary Swiss victory. The Montpellier keeper made some strong saves and only managed one insecurity when he insufficiently kicked the ball away.

And one thing is clear anyway: Switzerland has an excellent trio of goalkeepers at its disposal.

Silvan Widmer: A winner of the last few days

The Swiss are a much more stable and better team when Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi play in the middle of defence. All other central defenders are clearly weaker. St. Gallen’s Leonidas Stergiou, just 20, came on as a substitute against Portugal and made his debut – he could have played for Greece, Bosnia and Serbia, but that means he’s been locked out for Switzerland. Striker Zeki Amdouni, on the other hand, remained on the bench against Portugal and could theoretically still play for Turkey and Tunisia.

A winner of the last few days is the robust Silvan Widmer, who is ahead of Kevin Mbabu and Jordan Lotomba on the right back and, above all, defensively is considerably stronger than competitor Mbabu. Widmer’s cross in front of Haris Seferovic’s goal was very precise, but like Xherdan Shaqiri he too had to be substituted with muscle problems. And because Mbabu and Lotomba were strangely not in the squad, Renato Steffen had to step in at the back right in an unfamiliar position. Perhaps it was good for the Swiss, who were tired after a long season, that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had decided not to travel to Switzerland and had already started his holidays – and Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota were only substituted on.

Granit Xhaka: Finally the clear boss again

Anyone who knows him as a coach knows which position he is strongest in, Granit Xhaka said smugly after the 2-1 defeat in the Czech Republic a week and a half ago. Back then, Xhaka had to play more offensively than he likes. Against Portugal on Sunday evening, he was finally allowed to direct exactly where he had excelled so often for the national team in recent years: in central defensive midfield, in front of the defence, with the game ahead.

And Xhaka’s performance was outstanding. He distributed the ball, calmed the game, performed with overview, sovereignty and strength in tackles. The Captain was the champion in a passionate crew. Since Sunday evening at the latest, national coach Murat Yakin should also be one of those coaches who know what Xhaka’s parade position is.

Haris Seferovic: An early goal and a lot of effort

It was remarkable how different the Swiss played against Portugal compared to the previous games. More ball possession, less switching moments. Which was certainly also related to the fact that Haris Seferovic and not Noah Okafor started up the storm. Seferovic is not a sprinter. But an attacker who still has a keen scoring instinct in the penalty area – even if he has only made ten appearances for Benfica this season through injury.

Against Portugal, it took Seferovic 56 seconds to head in for his 25th goal in 86 caps. He convinced against Portugal thanks to a lot of hard work, while Breel Embolo had a very unlucky evening. Incidentally, the Swiss last scored in the first minute 34 years ago, when Alain Sutter scored against Luxembourg.