Marco Schällibaum's last derby with GC was a 1-0 loss in August 1984. More than 40 years later, he now gets his chance for revenge as GC coach. But he is already under a lot of pressure.
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- Zurich's Marco Schällibaum has been on the touchline almost without interruption for 26 years. Nevertheless, Saturday will be his first Zurich derby as a coach. His last as a GC player was over 40 years ago.
- In an interview with blue Sport, he talks about past battles, differences to today and the very special tension ahead of this thriller.
- In 9th place and just 2 points ahead of bottom club YB, the GC coach is already under pressure. "It's part of my job to deal with this pressure," says Schällibaum.
Marco Schällibaum, born and raised in Zurich, won the league title three times and the cup once with GC in the early 1980s. Naturally, the Zurich derbies were always something very special for him. "The rivalry was great back then. There was always a lot of emotion and excitement on both sides. He has fond memories of the clashes against FCZ. "We were already doing very well back then and won most of the derbies."
As far as the derby record is concerned, his memory is a little deceptive. In the 5 derbies in which he was on the pitch in GC kit, there were 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats.
His last Zurich derby? A 0:1 in August 1984
His last derby? A 0:1 in August 1984, the only scorer was FCZ striker Massimo Alliata. On Saturday, a little more than 40 years later, Schällibaum celebrates his derby baptism as coach.
As a true Zurich native, there is no need to explain the significance of this match to him, despite 26 years as a coach without a Zurich derby. "It's also about the hierarchy in the city. In the past, there used to be a lot of shredding in these games," he says.
However, the situation today is not entirely comparable to back then. In his playing days, there were six to seven Zurich players on the pitch on both sides. Today, his players come from Japan, Latvia, Sweden, Germany and Australia. How do you convey the derby feeling to this international squad? Schällibaum: "Even if they're not from Zurich, they all have their hearts set on GC. They know that this game is something special. I have the feeling that the tension has been even greater than usual these days."
Schällibaum: "We have to deliver now"
With 8 points, GC are already 10 points behind FCZ after 9 rounds and only 2 points ahead of bottom club YB in 9th place.
Is Schällibaum already under pressure? "It's part of my job to deal with this pressure. I have respect for this situation and am aware of my responsibility. We have to deliver and I am responsible for that," said the GC coach at the press conference.
He also says that his superiors know how hard he and the team work every day and that they also see the performances. Nevertheless, a win in his first Zurich derby in 40 years would not only polish up his personal derby record, it would also give him calmer days.
