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Miro Muheim and Stefan Gartenmann were among the defenders who tried to force their way into the national team in the test matches in March
Keystone
Five debuts, two systems and a bitter loss: the test matches in March were all about experimentation. National team coach Murat Yakin says he gained a lot of insights.
It was a very interesting match, was Yakin's verdict after the second test match on Tuesday. When it became clear that his team would not start the World Cup qualifiers until the fall, it was clear to the national coach that he wanted to use the international match date in the spring to test new players. Top performers such as Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji were absent for once, Zeki Amdouni had to pull out shortly before the camp and Remo Freuler was absent during the warm-up. Instead, there were players in the squad who had hardly been heard of before. Yakin tried out a few things in defense in particular.
They were the two exotic players in the squad: Stefan Gartenmann, who grew up in Denmark and plays in Hungary, and Lucas Blondel, who moved to Argentina with his family at an early age and plays for the big Boca Juniors there. In the interviews, they proved to be refreshingly likeable, and on the pitch they showed some good approaches, but were also unable to hide certain deficits. However, it was to be expected that they would first have to find their feet in their new surroundings. Yakin said of Blondel that he was an excellent fit for the team and of Gartenmann that he had done a very good job.
The fact that players with Swiss roots who are still making their national team debut at the age of 28 are being sought abroad underlines the lack of width in the defense. Blondel and Gartenmann are now further options for him, said Yakin. However, they were unable to force their way into the starting eleven.
It was a different story for Cédric Zesiger and Miro Muheim. The two German legionnaires took the momentum from the league with them and put in strong performances in the games against Northern Ireland (Zesiger) and Luxembourg (Muheim). Zesiger, who had not yet progressed beyond the role of a supplementary player in the national team, applied for a place alongside defensive boss Manuel Akanji. Muheim, who had long received little attention in the Bundesliga 2, impressed both offensively and defensively on the left flank.
Debutant Isaac Schmidt, who picked up a special commendation from Yakin in Belfast, also put in a good performance. The full-back must now manage to play more often at his club (Leeds United). The 21-year-old Albian Hajdari is a promise for the future.
One player who can make the difference in attack is Alvyn Sanches. The striker, who celebrated his 22nd birthday in February, has seen his market value soar this season thanks to strong performances at Lausanne-Sport. Many already see him as the successor to Xherdan Shaqiri. So it was all the more bitter when he suffered a serious injury on his debut in Northern Ireland. The cruciate ligament rupture put him out of action for several months.
The team then sent a video message to Sanches. "We will all support you in your comeback, you will return to the pitch even stronger, we are waiting for you," said Breel Embolo. In addition to the undoubtedly sincere wishes for his recovery, there was also a certain amount of wooing. Sanches is a dual Swiss-Portuguese citizen and has not yet made a clear commitment to Switzerland. When asked at the training camp whether he would now rule out playing for Portugal, he replied evasively: "I'm happy to be here now."
Denis Zakaria is still not really getting going in the national team. The midfielder, who plays an important role as captain at Monaco, has only rarely been able to showcase his qualities in Swiss kit. He was inconspicuous against Northern Ireland and only came on as a second-half substitute against Luxembourg. Yakin initially deployed him in defense, but then moved him one position further forward.
In defensive midfield, Vincent Sierro and Djibril Sow, who made his comeback to the national team after a long absence, were able to make more of an impact. But they will also have a tough time. There's no way around Granit Xhaka, and Remo Freuler is normally set alongside him. At the same time, Ardon Jashari, a young talent, is pushing forward. The center of the Swiss national team is currently exceptionally well staffed.
The system of play has changed time and again under Yakin. Before the European Championship, he somewhat surprisingly switched to a three-man defense, while the four-man defense returned in the Nations League. In a direct comparison of the two test matches, the 3-4-3 clearly prevailed over the 4-2-3-1.
However, Yakin does not want to commit himself to one system. The national coach values flexibility and also wants to react to the strengths of the opponent when choosing the formation. In general, however, Switzerland have looked more confident recently when playing in a 3-4-3 and forcing the attack through the wingers. This is also because the other system is based on a strong ten, which Switzerland currently does not have.
Like Switzerland, Sweden, supposedly their strongest rivals in the World Cup qualifiers, have also played test matches against Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. While Switzerland struggled in Northern Ireland, the Swedes stumbled against Luxembourg away from home. Both teams managed a reaction in their second game.
In the Nations League, meanwhile, Slovenia and Kosovo showed that they are also a force to be reckoned with. The Slovenians defended their place in League B, while Kosovo gained promotion against Iceland. This means that all four teams will play in the Nations League's second-highest division in future. The battle for participation in the 2026 World Cup in North America is looking evenly balanced. Yakin therefore does not want to use the two test matches in June against Mexico and the USA for further experiments, but rather to prepare the team as well as possible for the tasks ahead.
26.03.2025, 10:19
