Nati before the Serbia game – with stoic calm and a clear message – sport

Like four years ago in Russia, there will also be a showdown between the Swiss national team and Serbia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But this time it should be quiet. The reasons.

The group game against Serbia has been on everyone’s lips since the World Cup draw in April. The pictures from Kaliningrad immediately came to mind, the “double-headed eagle affair”, which the Nati – despite a 2-1 win – cost valuable energy and finally brought out of step.

There are currently many indications that emotions will not boil up again four years later. The reasons for this are manifold. Anyone experiencing the Swiss national team in Doha these days will witness a sworn unit that concentrates on its workload and unwinds it without background noise.

Yakin and smart communication

In addition to coach Murat Yakin and national team director Pierluigi Tami, this is also ensured by the association’s communications department. “It’s the best thing I’ve experienced so far in terms of Nati,” explains SRF radio reporter Marcel Melcher, who has accompanied the Swiss team almost everywhere since the 1994 World Cup. “Communication is active and offensive. Much has changed in this respect since the Yakin takeover. Predecessor Vladimir Petkovic was more of a hindrance to communication, Yakin is a promoter, »Melcher continues.

We focus on football. May the better one win.

Not only externally, but also within the team, a lot seems to have happened in terms of communication. The Serbia game was discussed internally at an early stage and a communication strategy was defined. “For us, sport counts, we’re not interested in anything else,” says SFV communications manager Adrian Arnold, the main message to the outside world.

Coach and players do the same. provocations? Leave them cold. Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri answer questions from Serbian journalists with stoic calm even before the first two group games. Her message: “We are concentrating on football. May the better one win.”

Keep emotions in check

The national team has been together for 17 days. If you use these two and a half weeks as a yardstick, it can be assumed that the emotions will not be overwhelmed this time. “The people involved are four years older and more experienced,” explains Melcher. In addition, the mistake of sweeping the subject under the carpet was not made again.

The topic has been worked up, the focus is now on the sporty. And there the goal is: With a successful performance against Serbia, make the round of 16 entry perfect. This time there should only be fireworks on the field.