Kerber has been disappointing so far as summer replacement

Gregor Kerber will play his fifth game as Switzerland's No. 1 against Serbia on Friday. His predecessor’s work resonates within and around the team.

Sebastian Wendel/ch media

He would never say that publicly; he was too controlling. But it can be imagined that 35-year-old Yann Sommer sat on the sofa at home and watched the four games of the Swiss national team since his retirement, feeling a little satisfied deep in his heart. Often, it's only when a player is out that his importance becomes apparent.

After eight summers with the national team, a summer slump ensued. Ten goals conceded in four games. Successor Gregor Kerber (26) has yet to show that he can provide the same support to the team as Sommer. Follow the motto: Wanting to be a national team goalkeeper and becoming a national team goalkeeper are two different things. Long before Sommer resigned, Kerber and those around him had been digging for Natty's goal.

Gregor Kober (right) has long been in the shadow of Jan Sommer.Image: KEYSTONE

So Greg Cobell really isn’t as good as he thinks? Well: the current numbers lead to that conclusion. The UEFA Nations League A has conceded ten goals, which is a negative record. And above the xCG value (8.1), expected goals conceded based on chance quality. Nearly every third shot found its way into Kerber's goal. The opponent's great chances resulted in more goals conceded than Kerber's saves. Of particular note: about half of his long passes ended up being passed to the opponent.

The latter works better in everyday club life. But in other ways, the same applies to the Dortmund jersey: when it comes to a goalkeeper's crucial discipline of preventing conceding goals, Kerber's values ​​aren't exactly great. At Dortmund, as with the national team, he concedes more goals than he prevents, averaging 1.6 per game. Last season it was 1.1, the highest value of any Bundesliga goalkeeper.

Sommer's work with national team resonates

Summary: The 2024/25 season has been disappointing so far. With his new dual role as number one for club and country, this should be the most important of Kerber's career to date. “Mastering a game every three days is a learning process, both mentally and physically,” said Nati director Pierluigi Tami. Tammy, for one, defended Korbel. On the other hand, it also shows that the national team has not yet had a “new summer” in terms of goals.

In order to reach his full potential, Kerber must feel 100 percent trusted by his teammates, coaching staff, and officials. But Sommer's work with the national team resonated. What's most important is admiration for his football skills: perhaps no one is better at it than Sommer — meanwhile, the passing game is Cobell's only weakness.

Kerber had a poor debut as the new number one.Image: trapezoid

Anyone who knows Kerber knows that what bothers him most is his bitter start as Natty's first choice goalkeeper. “Of course, I think differently,” he said after the 2-0 defeat to Serbia in mid-October, adding that after conceding so many goals, even if he didn't score, it looked like in a way It's also the fate of goalkeepers to look bad. They are all to blame.

Kerber's starting problem lies with Natty's defense

There are other perspectives on this issue. Critics also complain that Kerber's halo has been tarnished in recent years. Perhaps he is in a weak stage now. But widespread doubts about Kerber’s quality? They are absolutely inappropriate. His performance in the Bundesliga in recent years has been really good. Mind you, in goalkeeper country Germany, the bar for a foreigner like Kerber to be named the best player in his category twice in a row by an expert jury is particularly high.

Kerber is one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga.Image: trapezoid

Instead, the reason for Kerber's starting issues can be found in the overall development of Natty's defense. Fabian Schaal? As in the summer, he resigned following the success of the European Championships and a replacement has yet to be found. Manuel Akanji? Not back to EM form yet. Ricardo Rodriguez? Sitting outside Betis in Sevilla.

In all four games this fall, the defensive staff and system have changed — all in front of a new goaltender. Under such circumstances, it is unthinkable to blindly understand Akanji and others like his predecessor Yann Sommer did. No matter what: if the front man defends as amateurishly as most did in Switzerland's 1:4 match against Spain, or before conceding a goal in the 0:1 match against Denmark (final score 2:2), what can the goalkeeper do? What? The look on his face showed what was going on in Korbel's head.

The club's situation goes against Kerber's wishes

It wasn't just the look on his face on October 29: After Dortmund were eliminated from the German Cup against Wolfsburg, it seemed all the frustration of the past few months had to be let out, and Kerber threw the gloves Throwing it to the ground, revealing his glove. Teeth and accompanied by a primal scream.

The situation at the club affects him as much as the situation with the national team. After the cup, the team is only seventh in the Bundesliga, already ten points behind leaders Bayern Munich – Dortmund has once again lost the high goals it set at the beginning of the season.

Inside Dortmund, things are brewing and it's all about the power play and the fair-weather football mentality that has plagued the club for years. The ambitious Kerber went against the grain. He is likely to be behind the scenes pushing for a change of clubs in the summer of 2025, not only to improve his chances of winning trophies elsewhere but also to improve his passing ability. It suits him and the Swiss national team. (aargauerzeitung.ch)

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