In the opening game against Portugal on Saturday, the Swiss lost a two-goal lead because the important players are struggling with physical problems. The record national player Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic clarifies.
“I have three difficult weeks behind me”: Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic on Sunday at Kleinod Oulton Hall.
During the First World War, the Oulton Hall Hotel, this magnificent gem on the outskirts of Leeds, was used as a hospital. Almost 100 years later, the Swiss women’s footballers are housed there, and although it is not a matter of life and death, there are also wounds to be tended to in their ranks these days.
The day after the enigmatic EM opening game against the outsider Portugal, that little edifying 2:2, is sitting Ana Maria Crnogorcevic in the glamorous park of the hotel, the Swiss cross is emblazoned on the red lacquered nails of her ring finger. Crnogorcevic, 31, is the record goalscorer and one of the leaders of this team for many years, the comparison with Portugal was her 136th cap, tying the previous record player Lara Dickenman over.
But the day wasn’t too celebratory: there was no gift from the Swiss Football Association (SFV). Instead, Crnogorcevic and her teammates gave away a two-goal lead and the victory they thought was certain. “It just wasn’t good enough. It’s not enough against Portugal either. We were far too passive in the second half and stood too deep, »says Crnogorcevic.
Due to the prescribed bed rest, the liveliness is missing
After the break, the lights went out for the Swiss, they were physically inferior and unable to react. The calamity was recognizable, it came with an announcement, almost like a tornado warning, where you have a few minutes to get to safety.
But the coach Nils Nielsen only did something when the lead was already gone. The slump didn’t surprise him, he knows about the fitness level of his players. And that’s not really great at the moment, especially with the two most important individualists in the team, Crnogorcevic and Lia Wälti.
Crnogorcevic said on Sunday: “To be honest, I’m glad I was able to stand on the pitch at all. I’ve had three difficult weeks.” And then she specified: “I was in bed for a few days and couldn’t train. You can tell, something is missing.” She remained largely unconnected to the game in midfield, but played through. And said: “I would certainly never tell the coach to replace me. It would be like abandoning my women.” Crnogorcevic honors their willingness to suffer. But basically it is the coach’s job to recognize when the batteries are running low. Nielsen often has a keen sense for his protégés. In Leigh he seemed to have lost it. After the end of the game, the Dane self-critically admitted mistakes.
He didn’t speak on Sunday, but Tatjana Haenni did, as director for women’s football and the manager’s superior. Haenni has been in this business for a long time, and she cleverly dribbled around the questions about the late changes: She does not interfere in the technical area, especially not in public. But what Haenni did say was that this team is very dependent on the most important individual players: “If one of our leading players is not fit or is having a bad day, it will be difficult for us. In principle, they also have to carry the others with us, because we lack the breadth. »
The realization isn’t new, but it’s coming to the fore again now that women’s football is in the spotlight. Haenni and Crnogorcevic agreed that the gap to the top nations had increased in the last two, three, four years.
Crnogorcevic attributes this to the fact that women’s football is “more important” in those countries. Haenni said it was also related to the fact that the young players in the clubs were not supported enough: “All clubs are now integrated into the men’s Super League clubs. But they often function as a ‘club within a club’. That’s where we have to start.”
Haenni believes in a small miracle
They are food for thought and tasks for after the tournament. Because for the time being it is about tearing something at this EM, to ensure an exclamation mark. On Wednesday in Sheffield, the second group opponent is Sweden, which is extremely bad if Haenni and Crnogorcevic are correct in their assessment that the gap to the top has increased. The world number 2 is one of the title favorites in England, for Switzerland the duel could end with a rude awakening. Haenni said: “When I think about how the men started the Euros a year ago, nothing is lost for us. We knew from the start that we had to beat a big nation. It would be a surprise, sure, but we believe in it. Maybe we can pull off a little miracle.”
It will take a lot for the Swiss women to have any real hopes for this coup – above all a miraculous recovery from Crnogorcevic and Wälti. After all, the Swiss women are in the right place for this: in the hospital at Oulton Hall, completely different injuries have already been healed.