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Report nowThree days to go until the World Cup opener against Qatar on Saturday. At Wednesday’s press conference in San Diego, Silvan Widmer talks about his position and the mood within the team.
During World Cup qualifying, there was no getting past Silvan Widmer at right back. The Mainz captain started every game and consistently delivered strong performances in the 4-3-3 system.
In the warm-up matches leading up to the World Cup, however, Widmer sat on the bench for two out of four games. Murat Yakin switched to a back three (3-4-3) against Norway and Jordan—and gave other players a chance in the starting lineup on the right wing, even though Widmer is also very familiar with that position in this system.
Does Widmer have to worry about his starting spot? “I’m not worried about my spot,” the 33-year-old remains calm. “No matter how the coach lines up the team, I’ll just give it my all and support the team as best I can.”
Whether he plays on the right wing or as a right-back doesn’t matter much to him. “I’m a right-back with an attacking instinct. So not much changes for me. I’m just happy when the coach picks me, and I give it my all.”
Preparations for Saturday’s match against Qatar are in full swing. “The intensity in training is increasing,” says Widmer. Granit Xhaka’s blunt comments after the friendly against Australia didn’t unsettle the team. “But you can definitely feel the tension rising now. We’re training at a high level. If we keep this up, we’ll be 100 percent ready.”
The goal is clear: The Swiss national team is determined to win the group. “But it would be a mistake to think that the group stage matches aren’t that important and that we only need to be ready when the strong opponents come in the knockout phase,” says Widmer. “We mustn’t underestimate any team.”
