Goalie phenom Marvin Keller is just a backup and may be planning to leave YB

The master's sporting crisis and his youth are currently hampering Marvin Keller's plans. The great Swiss goalkeeping talent is languishing on the YB bench – but for how long?

Sebastian Wendel/ch media

Despite Wednesday night's 3-2 home win over FC Basel: Young Boys Bern cannot afford luxuries, judging by the standings and the season so far. It is argued that every available quality must be used to right a historically bad false start. Just look at the match sheet before the FCB game and you can tell: YB Luxury is definitely doing their job! How great!

Background: In a live poll about the Swiss' biggest hope for the future at the goaltender position, only a handful of voices did not mention Marvin Keller's name. What's more: many consider the 22-year-old already the best goalkeeper in the Chinese Super League. His level, confidence and technical ability with his feet more than make up for his lack of experience. Winterthur FC's finish in the top six last season was largely due to on-loan goalkeeper Marvin Keller, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that theory.

Common reactions from coaches in times of crisis

So what does such a top goalkeeper do on the bench in the tenth place in the Chinese Super League? The answer is a mix of “David von Balmers” and “Sporting Crisis.”

Von Balmers is a homegrown, six-time champion goalkeeper who has long been a club legend. They no longer seem to fully trust the 29-year-old in Bern, as was shown in 2023 when Von Balmos initially had to stand behind Anthony Racioppi after returning from injury. But von Balmer can show experience. Experienced. That's exactly what the coaches are relying on at a crucial stage: almost a year ago, after just two wins in six league games and some wobble for Racioppi, Raphael Wicky resumed his The decision to play against Ballmoos again since then saw Racioppi escape a frustrated end-of-season trip to England.

In times of crisis, the YB coach relied on club legend David von Balmos.Image: trapezoid

Now, a similar fate befell Marvin Keller: after being recalled from Winterthur, he had to replace the injured Von Balmos in the Champions League play-off match against Galatasaray. With two outstanding performances, Keller once again sparked discussion among Bern's goalkeepers. Regardless of Ballmos' health, then-coach Patrick Frame guaranteed playing time for him.

If the season had gone on as normal, there's a good chance Keller would have been working his way up to No. 1. But instead of a quick recovery in the Super League, YB's collapse became increasingly dramatic and eventually led to the sacking of Patrick Frame in early October. One of interim successor Joel Magnin's first official actions was to announce von Balmers as the undisputed regular. In uncertain times, a coach's usual reaction is age over quality.

YB will continue to be based on David von Ballmoos for a long time

It turns out Magnin was right: He has to stabilize the team and score points as quickly as possible – something he has done in six of three games so far. Von Balmers has looked more consistent recently than he did in the summer; he played an important role in Magnin's first win over Lucerne (2-1). It was even more painful for Keller, whose performance against Galatasaray also attracted interest from abroad. He sits in a golden cage, with prospects of playing time plummeting.

Joel Magnin has to stabilize the team – and so far he has succeeded.Image: trapezoid

Interesting fact: Keller has now changed his advisory agency and is now represented by top German agent Volker Struth. This shows that Keller is looking for a change. He has the tools for an international career. Now he needs a stage. He's unlikely to get this at YB: David von Ballmoos has extended his contract until 2027.

The Nashville Predators lost their seventh home game to the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 for the fifth time. There is uneasiness among the co-favorites.

Roman Josi, 4 shots, 2 blocks, 21:26 TOI