Marc Schneider: “What Thun has achieved has never happened in 70 years”

Here's what it's all about

• After five years in the second division, FC Vaduz is back in the Super League.
• In an interview with blue Sport, Marc Schneider explains what new challenges he sees ahead for his team and where the focus lies during their preparations.

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After five years, FC Vaduz is back in the Super League and, as a newly promoted team, aims to shake up the league. “The big difference is that you’re no longer playing in Bellinzona or Nyon in front of 400 fans, but in Basel and Bern in front of 30,000,” says promotion-winning coach Marc Schneider in an interview with blue Sport. “Preparing ourselves mentally for that will certainly be the challenge. We need to make sure we don’t freeze up in awe when we step onto the field, but instead look forward to it. That’s the key.”

But Schneider also sees new challenges awaiting his team on the field: “The Super League and the Challenge League are different kinds of soccer. The Challenge League is more about transition play and less tactical than the Super League. You face different challenges there.”

Specifically, he says, his players also need to establish a stronger presence in the opponent’s penalty area. “We’ve scored a lot of goals, which is good, but I’m convinced we could do even more there if we had an even stronger presence up front,” the 45-year-old emphasizes.

Nevertheless, FCV is heading into the new season with confidence. “We want to have a good season, and that’s the main thing. What Thun has achieved simply shows that a lot is possible, and that’s certainly something you can take with you,” says Schneider. But the Vaduz coach doesn’t want to think about pulling off a coup like the one Thun managed: “It’s never happened in 70 years, and it probably won’t happen in the next 70 years either.”