The stories are repeating themselves for FC Zurich

Dennis Hediger is aware of the danger. The FCZ coach is looking backwards in the table. There is only one thing left to do in the last nine games of the season: prevent disaster and keep Winterthur and GC behind FCZ at bay. There is not much left for the club to win this season; at best, it can still record a partial success in the coming weeks that will somewhat appease the fans. Such a victory would have been welcome in Geneva on Saturday evening.

Servette versus Zurich was a duel between two teams in very similar situations. Two struggling heavyweights of Swiss football in transition, with a focus on integrating players from their own youth ranks and a coach who has arrived over the course of the season but has not brought any improvement in terms of results.

Servette shows the way

In front of just over 5,000 spectators in the dreary Stade de Genève, Servette managed to achieve the hoped-for small victory thanks to two fine goals from Junior Kadile. The young Frenchman only joined the Geneva side less than a month ago and played with such ease that it was as if he was unaware of the problems facing the runners-up in the previous season.

Just how good the victory did Servette was evident from the jubilation of the otherwise rather reserved Jocelyn Gourvennec after the end of the game. With an average of 1.23 points per game, the coach's record remains weak even after his 26th game with Servette, but at least he has put an end to the troublesome run of seven games without a win. Servette have moved past FCZ in the table and can look ahead to the upcoming matches with a little more composure.

Gourvennec's critical words after last Tuesday's draw in Winterthur may have contributed to the win against Zurich and could be a clue for Hediger. The 53-year-old criticized the attitude of his players in calm and carefully chosen words. It is not enough to want to win. You also have to show that on the pitch: "We have to be more consistent throughout the match, too often we acted passively."

"It feels unfair"

At FC Zurich, Hediger opts for gentle, compassionate words - even after the seventh defeat in the last ten games. "I'm brutally sorry because I can see how hard and focused the players and staff work. And then you suffer such a blow in the last minute, practically from game to game," the 39-year-old told blue Sport. "It feels unfair." You have to continue to stand together and reverse the momentum.

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Hediger cannot explain the goals conceded late on: "I don't think we can find anyone who can provide an answer." As against Lausanne-Sport (1:2), the coach had the feeling that his team had more pressure on them than their opponents before the late goal was conceded. Defender Lindrit Kamberi took a similar view: "We're not lucky. We concede two goals out of nowhere."

Whistles from the fans

So is it all a question of luck and bad luck? The match in Geneva tells a somewhat more nuanced story. Although FC Zurich were on top of their game in terms of fighting, they did not defend skillfully when they conceded both goals. And they didn't manage much in attack, significantly less than Geneva. It was only enough to equalize in the meantime because Gaël Ondoua was unfortunate enough to have a ball hit his arm in his own penalty area and Philippe Kény confidently converted the penalty.

All in all, it was once again too little to expect a win, even if Hediger assures: "Our team deserves more!" FCZ have two home games coming up on the next two Saturdays, first against Sion and then against Thun. These are two opportunities to show before the international break that they really do deserve better than third-last place in the table. Otherwise, cohesion could soon become fragile. The fans expressed their dissatisfaction by whistling after the game in Geneva.

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