Ahead of the 16th round of the Super League, the top six teams are within five points of each other. blue Sport expert Daniel Gygax explains why he thinks Lugano are ready for a championship coup.
He can't remember a similarly evenly matched race for the championship title in the Super League, says Gygax, before taking a closer look at the clubs. Admittedly, the balance is also based on the fact that, with the fall of Young Boys, like FC Basel before it, a financially strong team is currently not making the most of its opportunities. However, the 43-year-old former Swiss international, who has been co-coach of the Swiss U21 national team since this summer and previously coached various youth teams at FC Zurich for seven years, also emphasizes the good work at Lugano and Servette in particular. The football expert from blue Sport also thinks that FC Lucerne is doing a good job.
Daniel Gygax, after 15 rounds of the Super League, the top six teams are separated by five points. Basel are first with five defeats, five teams have already been leaders, and so far only FCZ have been able to defend their lead for more than one round. What is your interim conclusion?
Daniel Gygax: "The league is more balanced and exciting than ever before. The battle for a place in the Championship Group also promises to be exciting right up to the last round. Bringing back Xherdan Shaqiri - who is not yet 40 years old - is a good move for FC Basel and also sends a signal to the opposition. With Lugano and Servette, you can see that something is growing. I wouldn't write off YB just yet, they've had a lot of bad luck with injuries in recent weeks. I'm a little surprised that GC are at the bottom. In addition to GC and Winterthur, I also count Yverdon in the relegation battle."
Even St. Gallen, in seventh place, are only seven points behind first place. Who do you think are the teams that can seriously challenge for the title?
"Basel in their current form anyway. Lugano with what Mattia Croci-Torti has put together and the calm environment. Then there's Servette, who have slipped up time and again, but where you can see that the core of the team has been together for a long time. FCZ got off to a sensational start, but my perception of them has wavered recently. As much sympathy as I have for the club, I think they won a lot of games this season in a relatively lucky way. I don't know whether I can include Lucerne in the list. What Mario Frick is achieving there is remarkable anyway. When I see how many home-grown players are on the FCL pitch, I have to give them credit for their performance. Regardless of Ludovic Magnin, I've always found Lausanne-Sport exciting because of the way they play."
Who would you pick as champions if you had to?
"For me, Lugano is one of the first candidates for the title, if not the first. The way the Ticino team is set up and currently performing, definitely. They have the American investor, who brings a lot of power to the club and keeps calm when things aren't going well. Renato Steffen is experiencing his second spring and is playing really, really well. In the center is Anto Grgic, plus Doumbia, and with Amir Saipi there is a good goalkeeper between the posts. The 4:1 against Zurich last weekend after falling behind early was a demonstration of power."
Basel are leaders for the first time in three years and have scored eleven goals more than the second-best attacking team. What is FCB doing better now?
"It has an identity again, I think that's sexy. Fabio Celestini has given the team a face. In the past, FCB often gave the impression that eleven different players were on the pitch every week. Now there's a line again. With Carlos, Traoré, Kade, Soticek and Shaqiri as well as Baró and Avdullahu behind them, Celestini has found a core up front. And when I see that there are also players like Kololli, Ajeti and Fink on the bench, there is a lot of potential offensively. FCB are looking very good again, I think. Especially as only two players, Mendes and Baró, are still on loan."
Young Boys are only in 9th place. What's the problem in Bern?
"It sounds like an excuse, but Young Boys have had a lot of bad luck with all the injured defenders. Even if it would be too easy to hang the misery on bad luck alone, Patrick Rahmen comes off too badly in this view. Sure, YB are not doing well in the league and the Champions League at the moment and their position in the table looks brutal. But the team has shown that it has qualities by qualifying for the Champions League against a good opponent. I'm surprised that YB is also lacking up front. Elia rocked the league with Nsame a few years ago. Ganvoula is a type of player like Nsame, plus Colley, Monteiro, Virginius and Itten. Too many attacking players have been out of form at the same time recently."
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