The three Zurich clubs are the weakest in the Super League. Daniel Gygax, once a player at FCZ and Winterthur and now a TV pundit for blue, identifies the problems in different places.
29.11.2025, 04:30
29.11.2025, 08:26
SDA
Daniel Gygax, the Zurich derby is coming up on Saturday. Once a top-of-the-table match, now the eighth and penultimate teams will meet. What can spectators expect?
"If you remember the last derby (3:0 for Grasshoppers; ed.), FCZ certainly has something to make up for, especially with the fans. If you win the derby, you can relaunch the season and make up for a lot. On the other hand, you can also lose a lot."
It's clear from your words that the pressure is on FCZ.
"Considering the situation in the table, the pressure is more on GC. The Hoppers finally have to start winning to give themselves some breathing space. But if you break it down to just the derby, I would say that FCZ is under more pressure. The defeat against GC is still fresh in our minds and was not foreseeable at the time."
All three teams from the canton of Zurich are in the bottom half of the table, two of them even at the bottom. Is Zurich club football in crisis?
"If you look at it in terms of the table, that's the case. But you have to take a differentiated view."
Then let's start from the bottom of the table.
"Winterthur did a fantastic job of saving themselves last season and were considered by many to be the number one relegation candidate this season. At the moment they're struggling a bit, they're not getting off the mark. Many experts are predicting that they will remain at the bottom until the end."
Do you agree?
"I hope they manage to turn things around. But to do that, they have to score again in front of a home crowd, like they did during Patric Rahmen's first term in office. Back then, the Schützenwiese was a fortress."
Is Rahmen, who stands for attacking football, the right coach for the situation Winterthur finds itself in? Last season, in an almost hopeless situation, they brought in Forte, a coach with a completely different playing philosophy.
"You're talking to a former attacking player (laughs). For me, attack is always the best defense. The first performances under Rahmen were refreshing. Winterthur can upset any big opponent on a good day. I'm sure that Winterthur and Rahmen can do it, even if the gap is already a bit big. But with a winning streak, they can quickly make up ground."
How do you see the Grasshoppers?
"I expected them to be able to break away a little from the last few years. The new coach Gerald Scheiblehner has brought in some input - you could see that last weekend against Basel. They lined up with a weakened squad that had no expectations of picking up a point against the champions. GC is a miracle team, you never know exactly what will happen. But the output isn't bad at the moment, even if points are lacking."
In each of the last two seasons, GC has only saved itself in the barrage. At the moment, they are back in penultimate place. How long can that last?
"Fighting to stay in the league again right to the end would be extremely draining. The club is in a phase of self-discovery and is slowly entering calmer waters. They are relying on young players from abroad, but also on their own talents. They have the ideal coach for this. That can be an exciting path."
Grasshoppers used to be a big name. When did the record champions' decline begin?
"Good question (ponders for a long time). It's been going on for a while. It's difficult to define a point in time. Especially as they had an interim high in 2013 when they won the Cup. As in many other places, people are looking for identification. In the end, it's always a question of money. The club used to be in a good position, also financially. With the arrival of investors, the constellation has changed somewhat. If the funds are no longer available, you have to take a different path. But that takes a lot of time and patience. Unfortunately, you don't have either in football."
This was seen on the other side of the tracks, where Ancillo Canepa's former "dream coach" Mitchell van der Gaag had to leave after just eleven games.
"I was surprised, because Van der Gaag has a lot of know-how. The fact that they parted company with him so early may also have done something to the team. If you look at the quality of the team, FCZ has clearly fallen short of expectations. It doesn't belong where it is at the moment."
They have only won one of their last seven games. In the cup, they also failed to win against lower-class Stade Nyonnais. What is the problem at FCZ?
"You could go into extreme detail now. In a nutshell: the unrest at the club has left its mark on the players. There are too many sideshows, there's too much discussion about things that happen off the pitch. It's not calming down."
Is President Ancillo Canepa to blame? Or does sporting director Milos Malenovic have too much power? Is it the combination?
"I'll abstain from that. Let others be the judge of that."
Last season, no Zurich club made it into the Championship Group. A similar scenario threatens this season.
"It plays into the teams' hands that everything is very close again. I'm still of the opinion that anyone can beat anyone in this league. With a series, you can quickly make a leap forward. But that's just it: The question is when you start this series."
The derby would be a good time.
"Absolutely. As I said, FCZ have something to make up for. In Grasshoppers' favor is the fact that they played a good match against Basel at the weekend. The question for GC is: who will be available? There are many injured players and now two suspended players. The game will definitely be decisive. It's a game from which you can gain confidence, from which you can draw power."
