The season has barely begun and things are already burning brightly in Bern and Basel. The first points are now to follow in the "classics" against the Zurich teams.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- YB, Basel and Yverdon have all lost their first games.
- The first points should come this weekend, otherwise the situation is likely to get worse.
- You can watch all Super League matches live on blue Sport.
Three teams are still without points after two rounds in the Super League: this is less surprising for Yverdon, more so for Basel and nobody would have expected such a bad start for YB. The Bernese have even played one more game, which they had brought forward with a view to Champions League qualification.
Three games, zero points and a goal difference of 2:9: this is a new situation for the club's fans, who are used to success and have won six league titles in the last seven seasons. The club's management had to respond to the outcry on social media. In an interview, board delegate Christoph Spycher explained that the situation also gave him pause for thought. "We haven't presented ourselves as the desired unit in the first few games," said Spycher. There is currently a lack of personality on the pitch.
Spycher explains himself
The long-serving sporting director explained this with the injuries to Loris Benito and Mohamed Ali Camara, who are sorely missed in central defense. Spycher rejected criticism that the club was ill-prepared for the absences. So far, the club had held back on the transfer market, as many interesting players were still hoping for offers from the top five leagues and were therefore currently too expensive for the club. He hopes that the fans will be patient in this regard.
For Sunday's home game against FC Zurich, who have started with two wins, YB will once again have to rely on the existing personnel. Nevertheless, Spycher is convinced that the team will pick up their first points "with intensive preparation and the fans behind them". In his speech, he also demonstratively backed coach Patrick Rahmen and sporting director Steve von Bergen, who had held many one-on-one meetings with the players in recent days and had "led the way in an exemplary manner".
Celestini remains vague
While the Bernese team took the step into the public eye in order to come to terms with their poor start to the season, most of the Basel team have remained silent about their obvious problems. The fact that attackers Thierno Barry and Benjamin Kololli were removed from the squad for disciplinary reasons caused a stir last weekend. However, the measure was not explained in detail. "The reasons are not that important," said coach Fabio Celestini at the media conference following the 2-1 home defeat against Lugano. But: "Without professionalism and discipline, you can't be successful."
But the conflicts at FCB go far beyond these two personnel issues. The scene in the stadium, when goalkeeper Marwin Hitz got into a loud argument with his own fans, showed that nerves are already on edge. He was supported by the supposed leaders Fabian Frei and Taulant Xhaka, who have hardly made an appearance on the pitch so far. Frei was substituted in the 78th minute against Lugano, while Xhaka has yet to make an appearance after two games. The away game against GC follows on Saturday, who have only picked up one point but look more settled.
