Defending champions YB will face cup and qualifying winners Servette in the play-off final. It is the only team against which championship coach Imke Wübbenhorst has never been able to win. blue Sport wants to know from her before the first leg why it will finally work this time.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Imke Wübbenhorst led YB to their first league title since 2011 last season.
- Now Wübbenhorst is aiming to defend the title with her team.
- In the play-off final, however, YB will face fearsome opponents Servette. It is the only team from Switzerland that the 37-year-old has never won against.
- In an interview with blue Sport, she explains what makes her confident that the curse will be broken.
On March 28, blue Sport headlines: "Will YB coach Imke Wübbenhorst finally break her Servette curse in the cup final?" The answer follows the next day - and it is: No, she won't. In Winterthur, YB lost 0:1 to Geneva in a final on equal terms, having already lost the two games in the championship 3-0 and 1-0.
Servette thus remain the only team in Switzerland that the German coach has never won against. The record: 0 wins, 3 draws, 9 defeats. And that with a goal difference of 6:27.
Even in the last season, in which YB won the league title for the first time since 2011, the Bernese team had no chance in the direct duels (0:3 and 0:4). In the play-offs, it was the GC women who knocked Servette out of the semi-finals.
So what makes YB coach Imke Wübbenhorst confident that they will finally triumph against Servette?
Iman Beney moved to Manchester City in the summer, Naomi Luyet to Hoffenheim, captain Stephanie Waeber missed almost the entire season and new signing Ramona Bachmann was never able to play due to injury. Are you yourself surprised at how strong you are this season?
When we put the squad together, we were convinced that we had potential in the team. But we also knew that it was up to the girls to decide where the journey would take them. A successful season would only be possible if they worked hard on themselves and if the new players were well received here and internalized our playing philosophy.
So you had some doubts that you would be at the top of the table?
When the girls talked about defending the title before the season, I told them quite honestly: I know that Basel, GC and Servette have all invested a lot. I don't see us being there yet. But you can get me to go along with your goals in the winter. If you work hard and the development is right, then I'll go with you.
And the development has obviously been right ...
We sat together in the winter and I said that we are now capable of beating any team. At the start of the season, we lost 3-0 in Geneva and really weren't competitive. But in the second leg in December, I thought we were better or at least on a par. We then unfortunately lost 0:1. We also rightly lost our first game against GC, but then we knocked them out of the cup later in the season and also won against them in the league.
How was this improvement in performance possible?
Of course, all the international games in the first half of the season helped us. (YB played two games in the Champions League qualifiers and then four in the Women's Europa Cup - editor's note). The players were able to play a lot of games at a high level and we were able to work a lot and do a lot of video analysis. For me, it was the process that had to be right in order to say: 'We're now where we can be.
Many players have said that the European games have brought the team closer together. You're together for longer and get to know each other better. Did you do anything extra special or did the players just enjoy playing PlayStation in the room?
(Smiles) No, no, that's just not what they all do. They play board games. They always want to have a room where they can spend time together. And that creates an enormous bond. You can go to the high ropes course a thousand times and say that this will bond you together. But if it's forced on them from above, it won't help.
But you certainly have a part to play in the fact that the atmosphere is so good.
But I can't claim that I'm such a good guy who brings people together. The team does that itself. If a player has a personal problem, ten doors are open and they say: 'Okay, then stay with us tonight if there's a problem, we'll look after you'. We're there for each other, on and off the pitch. There's a really good atmosphere in this team.
Now to you. You've been on the YB touchline over 100 times and have scored an average of 1.88 points per game. But you've never won against Servette. What makes it so difficult to break down the Geneva team?
I think Servette always go out and say: 'So, we're better and we're going to win the game'. And my team sometimes goes out and says: 'Yes, they're better and they're going to win'. But in the last two games, I had the feeling that we went out on the pitch with the attitude: 'No, now we're going to win! If you don't do that, then you always give them that five or ten percent of confidence that makes the difference. But now we believe we can beat them. And I think that's what makes us beat them now.
Last year you led YB to their first title since 2011 ...
... and we were able to avoid Geneva because GC got Geneva out of the way for us.
Actually, I wanted to know if this title was almost more valuable to you than last year's?
Titles are what counts. Then you can say I've been Swiss champion twice. I've been in the final twice, which doesn't always sound so nice. That's why every title, whether as a coach or a player, is important for your career.
But to win the title despite all the departures would be an incredible achievement.
After the championship title, it was more or less a sell-out. A lot of players left after I'd had almost the same team for three years and was able to build something up. In order to compensate for the departures in such a short space of time, we also had to bring in players. Maja Jelcic, for example. Although she is still young, she already has a lot of experience at a high level. With the new additions, the main thing was for them to settle in here quickly. But of course it was also extremely important for players to develop in the shadow of others.
Which players are you thinking of?
Giulia Schlup, for example. She didn't play much last season, but now she's a regular and does a great job in central defense. Or Malaurie Granges. She came back from a cruciate ligament rupture and didn't play much last season because she often had to line up behind Naomi Luyet and Iman Beney. But now she's playing - and performing. Lisa Josten also had to settle in here last season. So there were already a lot of players here who have now developed into pillars.
So it would be something very special to defend the title?
I can't say that this title would mean more to me because of the departures. But: Leverkusen could also win a title like this once. They stood up to Bayern for a year and then they were gone again. That's why it would be really cool to defend the title.
