The last game of the year is against England

The Swiss footballers will end the year with an international match in England on Tuesday. Against the European champions, they want to correct the image of the 0-6 defeat to the German team last time.

A game in Sheffield won't get any easier for the Swiss national team than Friday night's game in Lechgrund. England, who are second in the FIFA rankings, have reached the 2023 World Cup finals and will head to next summer's European Championship in Switzerland as defending champions. This is the second steep hurdle the Swiss team faces in the learning process for their home games in July.

National team coach Pia Sundhage has limited resources to deal with Friday's loss. Captain Lia Wälti, Luana Bühler, Géraldine Reuteler, Ramona Bachmann and Naomi Luyet are still missing five irreplaceable players. The team has limited width and does not have a dual starting lineup – either female or male. For a small country, this result is not surprising among the two most important SFV choices.

Ramona Bachmann (right) and Lia Wälti are absent from the current lineup.Picture: www.imago-images.de

many insights

The good thing about defeats like the one against Germany is that they bring a wealth of information. Sandhage explained that the focus of the past few days has been to “calmly explain what we are doing better and how we can do better.” The Swede made two points in front of a record crowd just minutes after the defeat: “I think it's crucial to work on your fitness and the ability to survive a duel.” And: You have to fight back better.

Pia Sandhage has some insights after the match against Germany.Image: trapezoid

In addition to the obvious discoveries after failure, there are hidden discoveries, those that can be read between the lines, such as the actions of a trainer. The 64-year-old has maintained his composure even in the most difficult moments as coach of the Swiss national team. She refrained from criticizing individuals, but even in the face of headwinds she remained true to her style: “We win as a team and we lose as a team.” The players who don't often take part in the competition did their best: “They participate and make its own contribution.”

grow and win

At Bramall Lane in Sheffield, where England last met Sweden (4-0) in the Euro 2022 semi-finals, Switzerland will once again play against some players who are new to many things in this environment compete. Ten of the 25 players who traveled to England had played no more than five international matches. “We want to grow,” Sundhage explains, looking at the bigger picture.

The draw against Australia in October and especially the victory against France showed that the European Cup opener in Basel is on the right track. Playing against a football powerhouse is still a learning process. You find yourself in quite uncharted territory. Friday's defeat against Germany was the 18th defeat in 19 games, while the draw against England was the best in 12 matches. Nonetheless, Sandage promised: “We want to win.” (Standard Data Authority)

Basel Football Club is also the leader after the 16th round of the Chinese Super League. Lugano lost the duel at Servetus 0:3. Winterthur lost to Sion.

Winterthur suffered a setback after an upward trend over the past few games. Zurich lost 1:3 at home to Sion.