Stefan Kreis and Michael Wegmann
The man is a living legend at FCB. 397 competitive games, ten titles, countless magical nights on the international stage. If Valentin Stocker ever leaves, it will be through the really big door.
But the 32-year-old is still there. He cannot build on the successes of the past. Or to say it with coach Patrick Rahmen: “Valentin is in a bear market.” Stocker still has “full backing”. The question of whether he will put his captain in the starting XI today against FCZ still leaves the framework open.
Experience or speed?
It is possible that the coach – like last against Omonia Nicosia (3: 1) and Lugano (2: 0) – relies on speed in the couloir. Why did he leave Stocker out? Because he has “younger and faster players as an alternative,” says Rahmen.
In the Cup disgrace against the third division club from Carouge on Wednesday, Stocker was once again in the starting line-up. But he did not advertise on his own behalf. On the contrary. “You have to understand his situation, he invested a lot at the beginning of the season, then he was hit,” says Rahmen. It is possible that he brings Stocker centrally behind the top against FCZ. Then he would have combined speed and experience. Because as a leader, his captain is “undisputed,” said the FCB coach. “And that’s what matters.”
Frame under pressure
For frames themselves, after the embarrassing bankruptcy against Carouge, only one top performance against the eternal rival from Zurich counts. Otherwise it will be uncomfortable for the 52-year-old, who has been viewed critically by the bosses for weeks. Did you have a discussion with David Degen after the cup disgrace? “We talk to each other after every game. Even when he wins duels he is very critical because he has high standards. “
When asked about the pressure on him, Rahm says: “The pressure has been there since the beginning of the season, we absolutely had to get into the Conference League and get off to a good start in the league.” The coach succeeded, FCB is in first place in both competitions, the cup failure against Carouge is the first spot in his booklet.
Breitenreiter left despite bankruptcy
Today’s opponents have also played a convincing season so far, and the Zurich team also suffered a first setback during the week. Embarrassing-out in the penalty shootout against Challenge league team Yverdon. “We spoke very clearly about what was bad in the cup game. We lacked the necessary aggressiveness, ”says FCZ coach André Breitenreiter. But you shouldn’t let everything go bad now. “The boys have had a great season so far. I’ve recently received a lot of messages from fans that we’ve seen more attractive games in the last few weeks than in previous years. “
A sentence that Patrick Rahmen would also sign.
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team | SP | TD | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
4th | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
6th | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
7th | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
8th | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |