Will she or won't she play? National team captain Lia Wälti has had a difficult few weeks, her knee is giving her a hard time. She feels ready to play against Norway. But what does coach Pia Sundhage say?
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- Lia Wälti says: "I feel stable, that's the most important thing." She has done everything she can to make sure she can play against Norway. Pain? Yes. But she wants to grit her teeth.
- Coach Pia Sundhage doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag at the press conference. It is a tricky matter. Of course she would like to play Wälti, but they don't want to take the risk of her missing out against Iceland and Finland.
- In the interview with SRF, however, Sundhage then relents. When asked whether Lia Wälti would be captain against Norway, she said: "She will probably be captain, yes. I'm very optimistic."
Lia Wälti is studying sports management by distance learning and took her exams two days before the opening game of the European Championship against Norway. The 32-year-old doesn't want to make a big deal out of it: "I don't feel that much pressure at university, to be honest. My priority is football." She has simply tried and if it doesn't work out, she will retake the exam in September.
So the much bigger exam is still to come. And that can neither be postponed nor repeated. The European Championship matches are written thick in her calendar. Is she ready for action? "I've done everything I can to make sure I'm on the pitch against Norway. We'll see if it's enough. But I have a good feeling and have gained confidence in the last few training sessions," said Wälti on Tuesday evening.
"I feel stable, that's the most important thing." The national team captain makes no secret of the fact that her knee still hurts. But: "I think my pain threshold has shifted a little. The European Championships are a highlight, so you can bite your teeth sometimes." Wälti herself, you can tell, would line up. She doesn't know whether she will actually play: "We only find out the line-up on match day."
Guessing with Pia Sundhage
Pia Sundhage doesn't let us look at her cards at the press conference. "Either Lia doesn't play, in which case she'll get more time to play against Iceland and Finland. Or we put out the best team. That's where she belongs. That's a tricky question and an ongoing discussion."
Sundhage knows very well what she has in Wälti: "She brings so much experience and makes her teammates better. She runs 12 kilometers and I'm fascinated by the way she takes care of the ball. The question is whether she's ready or whether we need to give her more time."
In an interview with "SRF", the national team coach is much more optimistic, even though there are only minutes and no other training session in between. "I already know who will play, but the players don't know."
Why does she do it this way? "Because we have another training session first and we want to check again whether we've made the right decision." They are prepared for all scenarios, not just the starting eleven.
A good scenario would be if Wälti is in the starting eleven. Sundhage acknowledges this comment with a laugh and says: "Yes, I agree." When asked whether she will captain Lia Wälti tomorrow, Sundhage says: "She will probably be the captain, yes. I'm very optimistic."
