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Pierluigi Tami sees more potential in the Swiss national team before the 2022 World Cup than ever before. But the Nati director warns of a déjà vu in Qatar.
In Russia and Brazil, the Swiss national team recently reached the round of 16 at world championships. “In the past we were happy with that,” says national team director Pierluigi Tami in Qatar. “But our goal is to make history in Swiss football. That also means going a little further.”
Tami doesn’t say the word “quarter-finals”, but he couldn’t imply it more obviously.
For the 61-year-old, this Nati is ready for the coup. “We have so much experience in the team: players who are already playing their third or fourth World Cup and have played more than 50, 60, 70 or even 100 international matches,” the Ticino proudly lists.
There is also the conviction within the team that something can be achieved in Qatar. “We have to convert the great experience into a great result,” says Tami.
Everyone always attaches the greatest importance to the first group game. But that’s not the case.
A problem that also concerns him is the start-up difficulties of the Nati. Not only at the European Championship (1-1 against Wales, 0-3 against Italy), but also recently in the Nations League (1-2 against the Czech Republic, 0-4 against Portugal, 0-1 against Spain), the engine of Switzerland sputtered considerable at the beginning.
“We can’t start at the World Cup like we did in the Nations League – otherwise it’s over for us,” the Nati director is aware. But if you manage to get ahead, it doesn’t matter in the end how and on which path.
“Everyone always attaches the greatest importance to the first group game. But that’s not the case. There are three points, just like in the second and third group game,” said Tami. Next Thursday against Cameroon (game starts at 11 a.m., live on SRF) they still want to put an end to any initial difficulties at the start of the World Cup.