Sion hit gold with Gennaro Gattuso capture

It took about a month for Gennaro Gattuso to become Swiss side Sion’s key player and at the same time demonstrate that he did not sign up with president Christian Constantin’s side for a long-term holiday amongst the vineyards and valleys of the Canton Valais. With his unmistakable style of play, marked by tough tackling and a never-say-die attitude, Gattuso is the undisputed leader of a pack aiming to break Basel’s dominance of Swiss football.

At the time of writing Sion are topping the Swiss Super League, having collected 16 points from seven games, with five of those clashes resulting in victories. Coach Sebastien Fournier has so far put substance over style, as Sion rarely play spectacular football. The team does not lack for technically gifted players though, such as attacking midfielder Xavier Margairaz and number 10 Oussama Darragi, the latter having been nicknamed the “Tunisian Riquelme”. However, Sion appear to have been created in Gattuso’s image - and that means a side with a tough, battling spirit founded on hard work.

“It is not easy to go from the Champions League to the Swiss championship”, said Fournier, speaking about Gattuso. “It is a question of motivation. A top player usually thinks that, as the level of football in Switzerland is 50% lower than in the top competitions, giving 50% could be enough to make the difference. It doesn’t work this way. Since the first day Gattuso joined us he has shown an extremely professional attitude”.

Team-mates quickly learned to recognise the famous “Ringhio” (growl in Italian). During the club’s training camp at Saint Prex, a small town along Lake Geneva, Sion were beaten 2-0 by Lausanne in a friendly, the first played with Gattuso in the starting eleven. “He went off the pitch looking so angry that in the dressing room nobody dared to say anything to him”, recalls Swiss journalist Pier Luigi Giganti. “He could not stand losing and he did not care that it was a

simple friendly. The day after that match, all the supporters were mad about him”.

Gattuso himself is full of genuine enthusiasm when he speaks about his new adventure. “The only person who was upset when I chose to join Sion was my wife because that meant she had to go on holiday with the children by herself”, said the Italian midfielder. “Obviously, here in Switzerland it is a world apart from when I was at Milan. At Sion I have to clean my own football boots and switch the studs myself. And when I wear an ankle bandage, all eyes are on me because the bandages are expensive and Sion take care of their money. Every day there is a new challenge here. After 13 years with Milan the time was right to look for something new”.

The midfielder is the household name Sion president Constantin needed to push forward his ambition to make his team a top Swiss club. In the past the president has brought other internationals to the Canton Valais, such as Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, Belgian striker Emile Mpenza and former Barcelona midfielder Gabri. But with Gattuso he has excelled himself, signing one of the finest defensive midfielders of the last decade and a World Cup winner to boot.

“Swiss football desperately needed to hit the headlines for positive reasons after seeing its credibility fall below zero last year due to Neuchatel Xamax and Sion”, said another Swiss journalist, Paolo Galli. “Xamax were led to bankruptcy by businessman Bulat Chagaev, while Sion were excluded from European competition for fielding ineligible players in a game and lost their legal battle against the Swiss FA and UEFA, with a 36-point deduction which almost led them to ruin. The Super League needed a breath of fresh air. This time Constantin has done something good for our football’s image abroad”.

Since architect Constantin bought Sion in 2003, the club have won the Swiss Cup three times, but always failed to collect what would be their third national title, after 1992 and 1997. Constantin chopped and changed coaches, appointing an astonishing 24 in ten years, but perhaps now he has settled on the right man to lead Sion back to the top. That man though does not sit on the bench, but directs the team from the pitch. That man is Gennaro Gattuso.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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Imprevedibilità svizzera

Al termine della stagione 2008/09 l’Ingolstadt 04 retrocedeva in Dritte Liga, la terza serie del campionato tedesco. In primavera la dirigenza del club bavarese, nel disperato tentativo di tenere a galla una barca che faceva acqua da tutte le parti, aveva giocato la carta del cambio di allenatore, sollevando dal proprio incarico Thorsten Fink e il suo vice Heiko Vogel. Due anni dopo questa coppia dal modestissimo curriculum ha scritto una delle pagine più importanti nella storia del calcio svizzero, estromettendo dalla Champions League il Manchester United di sir Alex Ferguson, finalista in tre delle ultime quattro edizioni. Fink, due titoli in due stagioni con il Basilea, ha bloccato i Red Devils sul pari all’Old Trafford (con i renani ci riuscì anche Christian Gross nel 2003, ma quel Manchester era molto più tenero poichè già qualificato al turno successivo); Vogel, che ha sostituito a ottobre il collega trasferitosi nell’Amburgo, ha completato l’opera battendo gli inglesi al St. Jakob Park. Un monumento come Ferguson sconfitto da un traghettatore alla sua prima esperienza da tecnico sulla panchina di un club. Anche nel calcio dei milioni c’è ancora spazio per qualche sorpresa.

Logicamente l’eroe per caso Vogel ha ottenuto un nuovo contratto dal club renano. Amatissimo dai giocatori, ha chiuso l’anno consolidando il club in vetta al campionato, conquistando i quarti di coppa nazionale e gli ottavi di Champions. Ma il miracolo Basilea ha ben poco di casuale. La gestione tecnica del gruppo funziona in maniera egregia perché agisce avendo alle spalle una struttura societaria solida e funzionale. La miglior descrizione è arrivata dal quotidiano ticinese Il Giornale del Popolo: “Il Basilea nell’Europa che conta senza tradire le radici”. Esistono diversi modi per gestire soldi e ambizioni, anche in realtà calcistiche non di primissimo piano. C’è il modello Sion, ovvero ingaggio di giocatori stranieri (anche importanti) e battaglie nei tribunali; e c’è quello del Basilea, caratterizzato da investimenti massicci nella formazione dei giovani. Il risultato è pienamente visibile: Shaqiri, Xhaka, Sommer, Fabian Frei e Stocker sono tutti prodotti del vivaio oggi titolari in prima squadra, nonché elementi (soprattutto i primi due) sui taccuini di numerosi club europei. Ma anche i veterani, da Huggel alla coppia gol Streller-Alexander Frei (27 reti stagionali in due, 7 in Champions), sono 100% made in Swiss. Tra i pochi stranieri degni di nota il play ivoriano Yapi, il terzino sudcoreano Park Joo-Hoo e il centrale argentino Abraham, protagonista di un’improvvisa rinascita dopo stagioni altalenanti che lo avevano portato a un passo dalla cessione.

Basilea significa però anche Gisela Oeri, moglie di uno dei soci del colosso farmaceutico Hofmann-La Roche e principale finanziatore del club nell’ultimo decennio. La presidentessa lascerà la carica il prossimo giugno dopo aver trasformato la squadra nella regina del calcio svizzero, lasciando in eredità trofei in serie e un moderno centro di formazione che dovrebbe costituire la base per il futuro autofinanziamento del club – oggi non ancora raggiunto. All’entusiasmo dei tifosi per l’exploit europeo si è pertanto aggiunto un pizzico di inquietudine per un futuro ancora incerto. Il presente invece dice Bayern Monaco, sorta di mini derby per gli svizzeri tedeschi. Lo sarà sicuramente per Vogel, in passato allenatore delle giovanili del club bavarese. E chissà che questo pacioso tedesco con la faccia da Ralph di Happy Days non riesca ad abbattere un altro gigante d’Europa. Forse è più facile che salvarsi in Zweite Bundesliga.

Fonte: Guerin Sportivo - Regine di Champions

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Il derby di Vogel

Con quella faccia da Ralph Cunningham di Happy Days e un curriculum vitae non spendibile nemmeno in Lega Pro, Heiko Vogel è l’allenatore più improbabile che si possa trovare sulla panchina di una squadra agli ottavi di Champions. In campo però le apparenze contano zero. Se ne è accorto sir Alex Ferguson, che lo scorso dicembre ha visto il suo Manchester United estromesso dall’Europa che conta per mano del Basilea.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).

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Au revoir, Xamax

Un ceceno che investe nel calcio a Neuchatel - città fascinosa ma dall’appeal pallonaro pari a zero - sembra l’inizio di una barzelletta. Ma in Svizzera non ha riso nessuno, dal momento che in soli nove mesi Bulat Chagaev è riuscito a distruggere un club storico del calcio elvetico come il Neuchatel Xamax – tre campionati nazionali in bacheca (uno con il nome di Cantonal). A gennaio è arrivato il crack: revoca della licenza e dichiarazione di fallimento per il club neocastellano, detenzione preventiva per il suo ormai ex proprietario, accusato di falso nei titoli e frode.

Chagaev rappresenta il lato peggiore di quell’esercito di milionari dell’Est che negli ultimi anni hanno trovato nel calcio un formidabile mezzo per ottenere visibilità (nei casi di migliori) o per riciclare denaro di dubbia provenienza. Che il ceceno non fosse un benefattore lo si era capito fin da subito: nel maggio 2011, pochi giorni dopo il suo insediamento, aveva minacciato i giocatori nell’intervallo della finale di coppa nazionale (persa) contro il Sion. A giugno l’intero staff amministrativo del club aveva rassegnato le dimissioni – nell’occasione il Neuchatel non aveva potuto stampare i biglietti per l’esordio stagionale in campionato. Poi sono arrivate nuove minacce ai giocatori, con una testimonianze che parlano di Chagaev nello spogliatoio accompagnato da guardie del corpo armate di pistola. A settembre viene esonerato lo spagnolo Caparros (quarto tecnico dall’arrivo del ceceno) dopo una rissa sfiorata con il patron. Nel frattempo aumentano i creditori, tra i quali anche i gestori dello stadio Maladiere, che lamentano il mancato pagamento dell’affitto. Infine il contrattacco della Federcalcio tra multe, inchieste, perquisizioni domiciliari e penalizzazioni in classifica. Fino alla scoperta di un documento di garanzia finanziaria, firmato dalla Bank of America, pieno di errori grammaticali: un falso clamoroso. E’ tutto vero invece il buco in bilancio del club: oltre 6 milioni di franchi.

Il 4 febbraio partirà la seconda fase di un campionato monco: fuori il Neuchatel (ripartirà dalla quinta divisione, sempre ammesso che trovi un imprenditore locale disposto a investire nel rilancio del club), penalizzato di 36 punti l’ormai famoso Sion di Constantin. Ma la storia che vede protagonista l’architetto vallesano, nel quale in molti cominciano a vedere una sorta di Robin Hood moderno che si batte contro i padroni del calcio (FIFA, UEFA e, nel suo paese, Federcalcio svizzera), è ben diversa. Constantin è un vulcanico Pierino che ama baloccarsi con i cavilli legali. Però niente pistole, né frodi, né mancati pagamenti. La sua potrebbe anche essere una barzelletta divertente. Quella di un ceceno che investe nel calcio a Neuchatel invece è solo triste. Au revoir, Xamax.

Fonte: Il Giornale

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Manchester United conquerors Basel highlight Switzerland's 2011

At first glance, 2011 looked every inch a negative year for Swiss football, as the national team failed to qualify for Euro 2012. Switzerland’s unsuccessful attempt to reach Poland and the Ukraine was mainly down to inconsistency; while Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men were able to halt England’s progress at Wembley with an impressive 2-2 draw, and then thrash Bulgaria 3-1 on home soil – thanks in large part to an outstanding hat-trick from rising star Xherdan Shaqiri – it was a different story when Wales beat the Swiss just days before the Nati were due to play a crucial qualifier against Montenegro.

The jury is still out on Hitzfeld’s reign, but intriguingly not on his charges, with a bright future predicted for the Alpine country’s national team. 2011 saw good news arrive from Switzerland’s Under-21 side, which shone at the European Championships in Denmark, reaching the final; eventually losing to Spain. Four wins from four games without conceding before facing La Roja was an impressive performance which also handed the Swiss a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics – it will be their first time at the games since 1928.

Some stars of that team (Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Frei, Yann Sommer and Admir Mehmedi) are currently staking a claim for a spot in the senior side’s starting eleven. Xhaka, was the first of the Swiss squad that lifted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2009 to graduate to Hitzfeld’s group, although he has since been joined by Nassim Ben Khalifa and Ricardo Rodriguez.

2011 also saw Swiss club football reach its highest point on 7th December, when champions Basel beat Manchester United 2-1 to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. The St. Jakob Park side’s achievement is deeply rooted in the country’s football, with the team composed mostly of local players including the homemade Shaqiri, Sommer, Xhaka and Fabian Frei, with returning veterans Alexander Frei, Marco Streller and Benjamin Huggel.

At 32 years old, Alexander Frei is already certain of a spot amongst Switzerland’s top five players of all-time. Numbers do not lie: 42 goals out of 84 games with the national team, making him the country’s most prolific goal-getter; Ligue 1 top scorer in 2005; Swiss Super League top scorer in 2011 and leading the way in the current campaign; 26 goals in European competition, with five so far in this year’s Champions League.

If then it was not surprising to see Alexander Frei’s name on the scoresheet against Manchester United, it was very unusual for the almost unknown Heiko Vogel to become Basel’s miracle man. Not a household name even in his own home, Vogel started the 2011/12 season as Thorsten Fink’s assistant at St. Jakob Park. On 13th October, Fink, who had led Basel to the last two Swiss Super League titles, left for Hamburg and Vogel was appointed as caretaker boss. Despite an unimpressive coaching career – Vogel had worked with the youth teams at Bayern Munich and then served as Fink’s assistant at FC Inglostadt – the man charged with keeping the seat warm won eight of his first eleven games, with just one defeat against Benfica in the Champions League.

Basel ended the year topping the Super League, qualifying for the quarter-final of the Swiss Cup and knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League. It was little surprise then when Vogel was offered and accepted the job of head coach and manager on 12th December. Curiously however, Basel scored their European success just months after chairwoman Gisela Oeri, the wife of one of the heirs of the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, announced she was leaving the club at the end of the season. Basel’s supporters hope that the Champions League feat could make the side’s main financial backer change her mind.

Before Basel, another Swiss side, FC Sion, enjoyed an impact on European football. After winning their 12th Swiss Cup, out of 12 finals played, the club owned by architect Christian Constantin, defeated Scottish giants Celtic in the Europa League playoff round. An outstanding performance was then annulled by UEFA, who excluded Sion from European competition for fielding ineligible players in the game. It was the start of a legal battle that is still running and has recently seen the Swiss FA, ordered by UEFA to punish Sion or risk
exclusion from international competition, hand Constantin’s side a 36-point deduction. Sion will fight on and have filed a criminal complaint against members of FIFA’s executive committee.

Despite this saga however, on the pitch Sion have shown they are the rising force of Swiss football and the club were sitting second until the 36-point penalty was handed out. The legal battles look set to run and run and fans will hope they do not overshadow a promising team.

Last but not least, 2011 also saw Hakan Yakin’s final act in the Super League. After two and a half years at Luzern, one of the finest ever creative midfielders in the history of Swiss football left for second division outfit Bellinzona. Yakin’s final statistics were 254 games and 141 goals in the country’s top flight. The standing ovation the midfielder received when he left the pitch at St. Jakob Park, from fans of his former club Basel, was a telling indicator of his standing. Yakin makes way for the new generation with only Alexander Frei sitting a step above him.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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Champions League: Basilea

I migliori acquisti stagionali del Basilea sono state le mancate cessioni di Xherdan Shaqiri e Granit Xhaka. Due gioielli prodotti dal sempre prolifico vivaio renano che lo scorso giugno hanno brillato agli Europei under 21 in Danimarca, giocando un ruolo chiave nel secondo posto finale della Svizzera, arresasi solamente di fronte al debordante talento spagnolo. Addirittura abbaglianti i lampi di Shaqiri, unico giocatore del torneo insieme a Mata apparso davvero fuori categoria nel contesto degli under 21. Una sensazione confortata lo scorso settembre dalla tripletta che ha schiantato la Bulgaria, mantenendo vive le chance della Svizzera di accedere ai play-off per l’Europeo 2012. Il Basilea non può pertanto che partire da questo esplosivo esterno destro di origini kosovare, la cui pazienza nel rimanere in patria senza farsi abbindolare dalla prima offerta del club tedesco, inglese o spagnolo di turno, ha finora dato i propri frutti.

Shaqiri è un giocatore maturo, sicuro dei propri mezzi, e pronto per fare la differenza anche a livello internazionale. Attorno a lui c’è un Basilea solido e non privo di frecce al proprio arco. I nomi di Huggel, Streller, Chipperfield e Alexander Frei non devono trarre in inganno; i renani sono tutt’altro che una squadra di pachidermi aggrappati solamente all’esperienza dei suoi veterani. Basta pensare a un portiere di notevoli mezzi tecnici quali Yann Sommer, rimasto imbattuto in quattro dei cinque incontri dell’Euro under 21. Oppure alle lucide geometrie del già citato Xhaka, campione del mondo due anni fa con la Svizzera under 19, che si gioca con l’ivoriano Yapi la maglia di play della squadra nel centrocampo a quattro. Oppure ancora al moto perpetuo di Fabian Frei (nessuna parentela con il bomber Alexander), reduce da un’esperienza positiva in prestito al San Gallo, nonostante la retrocessione del club.

Pur avendo iniziato la stagione un po’ in sordina (ma accadde anche lo scorso anno, senza però inficiare la conquista del secondo titolo consecutivo), quella guidata da Thorsten Fink è una compagine di buon valore in grado di togliersi qualche soddisfazione. L’importante è lavorare sodo sui punti deboli: la difesa innanzitutto, con la coppia centrale Kovac-Dragovic piuttosto lenta e macchinosa (ma l’argentino Abraham, finito quest’anno in panchina, non offre migliori garanzie). Inoltre in avanti non esistono alternative al duo Frei-Streller, con lo zambiano Tembo e il camerunese Zoua più efficaci come esterni che da punte centrali.
Nella stagione 2002/2003 il Basilea dei vari Yakin (Hakan e Murat), Gimenez, Rossi, Chipperfield e Zuberbuhler terminò a pari punti con la Juventus la seconda fase a gironi di Champions, mancando l’accesso alle semifinali solamente per differenza reti. Giorni di gloria che il club della presidentessa Gisela Oeri non è più riuscito a ripetere. Difficile lo faccia oggi. Ma da allora, nessun Basilea è stato qualitativamente tanto vicino a quella storico undici come l’attuale squadra di Fink.

LA STELLA - Xherdan Shaqiri
Nel 2001 entrava nelle giovanili del Basilea, dieci anni dopo è diventato l’icona del club. Dribbling, potenza e un sinistro che lascia il segno lo rendono attualmente il miglior calciatore svizzero. Se Gokhan Inler vale 20 milioni, quanto dovrebbe costare Shaqiri?

Fonte: Guerin Sportivo

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Time-travelling FC Thun ready for Stoke challenge

Little FC Thun will be turning back time when they face English Premier League side Stoke City in the Europa League playoff round. Six years ago the Swiss minnows made history when knocking out first Dynamo Kyiv and then Malmo, going on to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. With an annual budget of under €3M, Thun were the smallest side to ever enter the tournament. The club were handed a group containing Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague and, despite being tipped to finish bottom, ended third.



Striker Mauro Lustrinelli was Thun’s hero back in those heady days; the club’s supporters still remember the wonderful goal the hitman struck against Swedish champions Malmo.”Given the club’s small reputation and budget”, said Lustrinelli, “we can say that the Champions League experience was more than just a fine achievement. It was a real miracle.”



After Lustrinelli left Thun in January 2006, the forward turned out for Sparta Prague, Luzern, Young Boys and Bellinzona (the club at which he began his professional career in 1994). Last season however, the 35-year-old’s goals were not enough to save the Granata from relegation, and Lustrinelli opted not to follow the club down to the Swiss second tier, signing for Thun instead.



“When I came back, it was like I had never gone away”, explained Lustrinelli. “The club’s philosophy hasn’t changed: hard work, team spirit and a great footballing culture and absolutely no pressure. Moreover, Thun were ready to begin a new adventure in Europe after finishing fifth last season, just after being promoted from a division lower. I couldn’t ask for more.”



Thun had a difficult start to life back in Europe, negotiating their first test in the Europa League against Albanians Vllaznia only in the dying seconds of the return leg. However, the Super League side impressed in the next round against Serie A outfit Palermo who, despite starting as overwhelming favourites, could not do better than two draws against Thun (2-2 in Italy and 1-1 at the new Thun Arena – the stadium was only opened in July).



“I know that there are a lot of differences between the Champions League and the Europa League”, said Lustrinelli. “However, for a small club like ours, every step further in Europe is a little wonder. Now we have to face a tough contender because Stoke City is a Premier League club. But we have nothing to lose and we’ll surely play our football.”



The veteran striker has not forgotten his first European experience against an English team. “We played Arsenal twice in the 2005/06 Champions League, and we lost both games in the dying minutes. In London Dennis Bergkamp scored the winning goal, while in Switzerland they won thanks to a late Robin van Persie penalty.” Lustrinelli however accepts that against teams with such talent, there is often little that can be done to avoid suffering at their hands. Stoke though present a different kind of challenge. “When you play against stars like these, you know you could lose the game at any moment. Luckily Stoke City have no stars like them in the team. However, we still remain underdogs.”



Under coach Murat Yakin, Thun progressed over the last two seasons, moving from Switzerland’s second tier all the way to the Europa League. Since the start of the 2011/12 Swiss season, under a new boss in Bernard Challandes – appointed after Yakin moved to Luzern – Thun have continued onwards and upwards, with the fresh face in the dugout showing he is able to coax out special performances from a group of unheralded players, leading the side to the top of the Super League.



Alongside the prodigal son Lustrinelli, who at 35 has scored more than 240 goals in his career, Thun’s star is 21-year-old Paraguayan Dario Lezcano. The technically gifted attacking all-rounder was key to the club’s success against Palermo, scoring in the second leg of the tie. Lezcano moved to Thun last January after two seasons spent with Challenge League outfit Wil; now the Paraguayan is on the radar of many of Europe’s bigger clubs and a strong display against Stoke would place him in the shop window even more.



Right midfielder Christian Schneuwly and goalkeeper David da Costa are two other potential stars in coach Challandes’ 4-4-2 machine. Da Costa especially has once again demonstrated how breathing in the Thun air can turn an unimpressive player into a consistent performer. Just two seasons ago the 25-year-old was reserve keeper at Chiasso in the Prima Lega, Swiss football’s third tier. Schneuwly can continue to improve too after failing to hold down a regular spot with Young Boys over the past two seasons.



Thun are now aiming to follow up their defeat of Palermo by shocking Stoke. The Swiss Super League side will not underestimate the Potters, but believe that with no end of effort combined with the extra sharpness of starting their season in July, there is all to play for.



Fonte: Inside Futbol

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Swiss Super League 2011/12 Season Preview

At the recent UEFA Under-21 Championship in Denmark, Switzerland finished runners-up, losing out only in the final to Spain – and with seven players from the country’s domestic Super League in the starting eleven. This statistic is a clue to the improving nature of Switzerland’s top flight and, especially, the nation’s ability to develop young talent. Rising stars like Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi, Granit Xhaka, Innocent Emeghara and Fabian Frei showed in Denmark that enjoying regular football with Basel, Zurich, Grasshopper and St. Gallen was a wise choice, rather than heading abroad to warm a bench.

The Swiss Super League therefore is the right place to discover hidden footballing treasures, unpolished gems that could burst onto the big stage. Thanks to the return of traditionally large clubs Servette and Lausanne, 2011/12’s Super League looks set to be more competitive than ever. We preview the new season:

Basel
Basel boss Thorsten Fink knows how to win at the death. For the last two years the German has led Switzerland’s richest club to the title in the very last round, pipping Young Boys (in 2010) and Zurich (in 2011) to the post. This season again Basel look favourites and could claim their third title in a row.

Fink has shown that he can mix veteran performers with young talents with skill at St. Jakob Park. The club’s experienced players are best represented by Alexander Frei, a goal-machine few defences in Switzerland are able to stop. Moreover, Basel have a productive youth system that fills, year after year, holes left in the first team by departures to bigger leagues. Goalkeeper Yann
Sommer and midfielder Granit Xhaka are two of the finest in the current crop. At present the only dark cloud on Basel’s horizon is the future of Shaqiri. One of the standout players at the Under-21 Championship, the midfielder has been linked with a move away from the club. If the 19-year-old stays, Basel’s rivals look set to be playing for second place.

Key arrivals: Fabian Frei (St. Gallen – loan return); Radoslav Kovac (West Ham);
Joo-Ho Park (Jubilo Iwata)
Key departures: Franco Costanzo (Olympiacos); Behrang Safari (Anderlecht)
Prediction: 2nd (1st with Shaqiri)

Grasshopper
The good news for Grasshopper is just to be lining up in the 2011/12 Super League. Despite serious financial troubles, coach Ciriaco Sforza managed to keep the show on the road while the board struggled to keep the club alive.

After a poor start, Grasshopper moved away from the bottom of the table and ended last season in seventh. Many new impressive recruits have given fans cause to hope for a better campaign this time around, with an eye even cast upwards to a European spot. Striker Innocent Emeghara is expected to continue to develop and lead the team to a much improved season.

Key arrivals: Daniel de Ridder (Wigan); Frank Feltscher (Bellinzona); Iacopo La
Rocca (Bellinzona); João Paiva (Luzern)
Key departures: Milan Gajic (Zurich); Vincenzo Rennella (Cesena)
Prediction: 5th

Lausanne
Challenge League (Switzerland’s second tier) champions, Lausanne hit the headlines in pre-season for their marketing strategy, as they signed deals with two main sponsors (a bank and a supermarket) and opted to switch shirts at half-time.

The club lost two key players in the transfer window, forward Carlos Silvio and Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Tosi. Consistency and hard work were Lausanne’s strongest attributes last season and coach Martin Rueda hopes this can continue against even better opponents in the top flight. Experienced goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti could be crucial in helping the team to survive – their task looks tough
though.

Key arrivals: Fabio Coltorti (Racing Santander); Frédéric Page (Nuechatel Xamax)
Key departures: Carlos Silvio (Union Berlin); Rodrigo Tosi (Tractor Sazi Tabriz)
Prediction: 10th

Luzern
Luzern have ordered new manager Murat Yakin to instil consistency in the team and aim for Europe after a rollercoaster campaign last season – Luzern topped the table as the winter break arrived, before suffering a slump and ending sixth.

Yakin can count on his younger brother Hakan, who remains the most talented player in Luzern’s ranks and one the best passers in the Super League; despite often seeming to operate in slow motion. The main beneficiary of Yakin’s creativity will be Romanian forward Christian Ianu, fully recovered from a bad leg injury that ruled him out of much of the 2010/11 campaign.

Key arrivals: Xavier Hochstrasser (Padova); Jérôme Thiesson (Bellinzona)
Key departures: João Paiva (Grasshopper); Dusan Veskovac (Young Boys)
Prediction: 6th

Neuchatel Xamax
Neuchatel Xamax come into the season under new ownership, led by the controversial Chechen Bulat Chagaev (last May the broadcaster Teleticino reported that the owner had stepped into the dressing room at half time in the Swiss Cup final shouting “I’ll kill you all” to the players, who were two goals down against Sion).

Despite the billionaire businessman stating he has great ambitions for the club, the team does not look much stronger than last year’s outfit; last season Neuchatel only avoided relegation in the last round of games. This season looks set to be another struggle to survive, with new boss Francois Ciccolini (Monaco’s former Under-19s coach), under pressure from almost the first match.

Key arrivals: Logan Bailly (Borussia Mönchengladbach); David Navarro (Valencia);
Victor Sanchez (Getafe)
Key departures: Raphaël Nuzzolo (Young Boys)
Prediction: 8th

Servette
The Geneva-based outfit is the second most successful Swiss side behind Grasshopper. Servette ended their season just one month ago, defeating Bellinzona in a playoff to return to the Super League for the first time since being declared bankrupt in 2005.

Chairman Majid Pishyar, an Iranian businessman, kept the promise he made upon becoming owner of the side. “I’ll take Servette back to where they belong”, said Pishyar. Now he must keep them up. The lack of new recruits should not worry Portuguese coach Joao Alves, as his team looks to have enough talent, with Brazilian free-kick master Marcos de Azevedo, left winger Matias Vitkieviez and striker Julian Esteban arguably too good even for the Super League.

Key arrivals: Issaga Diallo (Locarno)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 7th

Sion
Step by step, the ambitious and volcanic Sion president Christian Constantin is building a team able to compete with the Swiss giants. After a satisfying 2010/11 season, in which the club won their twelfth Swiss Cup and ended the Super League with the tightest defence, Sion are ready to improve again.

And it appears Constantin has learnt from his mistakes. In recent years the president brought big names to the club, such as Essam El-Hadary, Emile Mpenza and Olivier Monterrubio, but the average quality of the side at the Stade Tourbillon was poor. Things are different now, with former international stars like Gabri and Pascal Feindouno, who have joined a team full of solid performers, boasting Giovanni Sio, Michael Dingsdag, George Ogararu and Andris Vanins. Sion can make a splash this season.

Key arrivals: Guilherme Afonso (Lugano); Pascal Feindouno (Monaco); Gabri
(Umm-Salal); Mario Mutsch (Metz)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 3rd

Thun
In the last two seasons Thun’s star was coach Murat Yakin, who first led the club to promotion and then to a comfortable mid-table finish in the Super League. New boss Bernard Challandes has a difficult task to follow, with the aim of transforming Thun into a team able to cement a mid-table spot as quickly as
possible.
There are high expectations surrounding the return of Mario Lustrinelli, who was the star of the greatest team in the club’s history that, in 2005, reached the group stages of the Champions League. Last season, Lustrinelli’s goals were not enough to save Bellinzona, but at 35 years old the striker has still proven himself capable of taking enough chances to help Thun survive.

Key arrivals: Mauro Lustrinelli (Bellinzona); Christian Schneuwly (Young Boys)
Key departures: Timm Klose (Nurnberg); Nick Proschwitz (Paderborn); Ifet
Taljevic (released)
Prediction: 9th

Young Boys
Young Boys are aiming for a first title since 1986 and chosen to make real the dream is Christian Gross. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager dominated the last decade in Swiss football, winning four championships, four cups and mounting a fairytale run in the Champions League in 2002. It therefore came as little surprise to see Young Boys turn to Gross to replace Vlado Petkovic,
sacked after failing last season.

The club have been busy in the transfer window as they attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and reigning champions Basel. Standing out above all others though is starlet Nassim Ben Khalifa. Voted best player at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, Ben Khalifa returns from a disappointing time in Germany, where he warmed the bench for both Wolfsburg and Nurnberg.

There are great expectations too surrounding Danish midfielder Alexander Farnerud, who had a superb impact in Swiss football upon arriving last January from Brondby. Young Boys are undoubtedly Basel’s main opposition for the title.

Key arrivals: Nassim Ben Khalifa (Nurnberg); Raphaël Nuzzolo (Neuchatel Xamax);
Michael Silberbauer (Utrecht); Dusan Veskovac (Luzern)
Key departures: Thierry Doubaï (Udinese); Senad Lulic (Lazio); Christian
Schneuwly (Thun)
Prediction: 1st

Zurich
Last season Zurich were surprisingly in the title race until the very last round. The main reason the side could not hit the target was the real lack of a prolific goalscorer. This problem, Zurich hope, will be solved by Admir Mehmedi, who shone at the recent Under-21 Championship and is expected to enjoy a breakthrough season.

Alongside Mehmedi, coach Urs Fischer can count on experienced performers like right back Philippe Koch, playmaker Xavier Margairaz and all-round midfielder Dusan Djuric. Whether this is enough of an improvement to win the title is open to question; Zurich will give it their all though.

Key arrivals: Milan Gajic (Grasshopper)
Key departures: None
Prediction: 4th

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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Swiss Super League boosted by Servette and Lausanne

The end of the season in Switzerland’s Challenge League – the country’s second tier –has seen two of the Alpine nation’s most important clubs return to the top flight: Lausanne and Servette. The duo finished first and second respectively, with Lausanne directly promoted, while Servette needed to see off ninth placed Super League outfit AC Bellinzona in a relegation/promotion playoff.

Both Lausanne and Servette hail from Switzerland’s French-speaking area, and are two pieces of the country’s footballing history. Lausanne have picked up seven titles and nine cups, and even made an impact on the European stage too, reaching the semi-final of the UEFA Cup in 1958 and making the quarter-final of the Cup Winners Cup seven years later. In the 1960s, the club gained the nickname “Kings of the Night”, as during a spate of evening fixtures the side proved virtually unbeatable at home. Lausanne’s glory days ended in the 2001/02 campaign though with relegation due to financial problems. Just a year later the club was bankrupt and had to begin anew in the fourth tier.

Servette suffered a similar fate in 2005, being declared bankrupt due to debts of over 10M Swiss Francs. It was the saddest moment in the club’s history because, at the time, the Geneva-based outfit were the only side to have remained in Switzerland’s top flight since its creation in 1890. Les Grenats claim 17 titles and seven cups to their name. The club hit the heights in the 1979/80 season when, led by Umberto Barberis and Claude “Didi” Andrey, they won every competition they entered, with the exception of the Cup Winners Cup, where Fortuna Dusseldorf put an end to their European dream in the quarter-final, even though Servette had lost neither the home or away game.

Last season, both Lausanne and Servette staged an impressive recovery in the Challenge League. After 23 games, with just seven left to play, the duo found themselves 14 points behind leaders Lugano and eight off second placed Vaduz. Lausanne though proceeded to win all their final seven games, while Servette won six (losing only against relegation candidates Locarno). However, the revival would still not have been possible but for Lugano and Vaduz’ slump, and their final third and fourth placing respectively meant another season in the Challenge League.

For Lausanne, the road to recovery can be traced back to last season, as the club unexpectedly reached the Swiss Cup final. Despite being thrashed 6-0 by Super League heavyweights Basel, the second tier hopefuls gained the Europa League spot gifted to the cup winners – Basel had Champions League fish to fry. Taking into account their Challenge League status, Lausanne’s European adventure was impressive, reaching the Europa League’s group phase after seeing off Bosnian upstarts Borac Banja Luka, Danish side Randers and Russian giants Lokomotiv Moscow in the qualifying playoff rounds.

But for the pleasure of a European run, it needed a Europa League exit to truly allow Lausanne take off in the Challenge League. Key players for coach Martin Rueda’s team were the attacking pair of Carlos Silvio and Jocelyn Roux, Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Tosi and youngsters Guillaume Katz (centre back) and Michel Avanzini (midfielder).

While Lausanne’s strongest attributes were consistency and a never-say-die attitude, Servette were widely considered the most attractive team in the Challenge League. Technically gifted stars like Brazilian free-kick master Antonio De Azevedo (13 goals), left winger Matias Vitkieviez (11 goals) and the club’s top scorer Eudis (15 goals) clearly demonstrated that they can perform at a higher level. Right back-cum-midfielder Vincent Ruefli and centre back Patrik Baumann (who scored a vital brace against Bellinzona in the playoff second leg) chipped in too.

Servette chairman Majid Pishyar has made good on a promise he made alongside Portuguese coach Joao Alves to “take Servette back to where they belong” in 2009. At the time, Alves had five promotions to his name – four in Portugal and one in Spain. Returning to the Super League though is just a first step for Pishyar, who is aiming for Les Grenats to win the title by 2014.

While that is a big ask, one thing is indeed certain: With Lausanne and Servette involved, the 2011/12 Super League looks set to be more competitive than ever.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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La carica dei 101

I mondiali non son belli se non gioca Lustrinelli. Capitava di sentire anche questo in Canton Ticino nel 2006 quando in Germania Mauro Lustrinelli era in ballottaggio per una maglia da titolare nella nazionale elvetica. Poi è uscito dal giro, accontentandosi della Super League quale ambiente per continuare a fare ciò che gli è sempre riuscito bene: segnare.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).

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Le età di Lulic

Quest’anno in Europa solamente il Fenerbahce è uscito imbattuto dal Wankdorf di Berna. Per il resto lo Young Boys di Vlado Petkovic ha avuto ragione di tutte le squadre ospitate, dal Tottenham Hotssur al Getafe, dall’Odense allo Stoccarda fino ai campioni di Russia dello Zenit San Pietroburgo, sconfitti in rimonta 2-1 nell’andata dei sedicesimi di Europa League.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).

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Ambitious FC Sion president Christian Constantin divides Swiss opinion

It has been said that FC Sion owner Christian Constantin is the president every coach would hope not to work for. Since the architect from Martigny – a French speaking city in the canton of Valais in Switzerland – bought the club in 2003, he has quickly become the most outspoken president in Swiss football. Constantin is never afraid to speak his mind about his side’s performance or criticise managerial decisions. And the sacking of managers has happened with alarming regularity on his watch, with Sion having gone through 22 coaches during his reign.

Constantin’s self-belief is even bigger than his ambition to make Sion a Swiss giant. Twice the president has appointed himself as the club’s coach after sacking his manager. In October 2008, Constantin dispensed with the services of German coach Uli Stielike and stood in himself as boss. “I let him do his job for 150 days”, said Constantin, “but I [didn't] see any result. Sion have 3,000 supporters, less than in the previous season. It was necessary to cut in, and that’s what I did. Stielike refused to collaborate, so I had no choice.” However, in April 2009, Sion’s president repeated the trick, sitting on the bench once again for a whole month.

On 28th May, 2010, former FC Zurich coach Bernard Challandes – who won the Swiss Super League title in 2009 – signed on at Sion. The situation Challandes inherited was not an easy one, due to the club operating under a transfer ban imposed for having signed Egyptian international Essam El-Hadary. The goalkeeper was under contract with his former club Al-Ahly, and the Egyptian giants had not released the player for negotiations at the Stade Tourbillon. However, the ban was temporarily lifted just before the 2010/11 campaign got under way, due to Sion’s ongoing appeal.

It was not the first time Constantin’s lawyers have pulled his chestnuts out of the fire. In 2003, Sion were denied their professional license due to financial problems. Constantin, Sion’s new owner at the time, having taken over from president Gilbert Kadji during the summer, refused to play in the Prima Lega – the Swiss third division – and attacked the National League. In October of the same year, a canton judge reinstated the club, ruling that they should play in the Challenge League, Switzerland’s second tier. The Challenge League was already over three months old at the time, therefore Sion had to make up a backlog of matches by playing twice a week.

Back in the present day, and after the El-Hadary saga, Sion swooped to sign former Ajax right back George Ogararu, Dutch centre back Michael Dingsdag (from Heerenveen) and defensive midfielder Rodrigo Lacerda (from Strasbourg). The Sion supremo then revealed his targets for the forthcoming season. “My expectations?” said Constantin. “I think Sion can at least challenge for the European places.”

Since the start of the campaign Sion have struggled for consistency though, despite a good start.”Will Challandes be Constantin’s umpteenth sacrificial lamb?” wondered French language newspaper 24 Heures after the president had declared: “If I had to currently sack the people I am not satisfied about, I’d be alone.” At the time of writing however, Challandes is still in the hottest of hot seats. And this despite a very public humiliation the 59-year-old suffered in Round 8 of the Swiss Cup

Towards the end of November, Sion faced Challenge League outfit Lugano at the Cornaredo Stadium. Ogararu put his side ahead after a few minutes, but a late goal from Lugano striker Afonso took the tie into extra time. Before the first period of extra time could get under way however, an angry Constantin stepped onto the pitch, told Challandes to keep quiet, and began to give instructions to the players. Sion won the match 3-2. A deeply embarrassed Challandes sought to play down the incident post-match, stating: “Everybody knows the president. He has charisma and he always tries to motivate the team. I admit this is not the ideal situation for a coach to work in. However, we have to accept it.”

Under Constantin – a former goalkeeper, the president was Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld’s team-mate at Lugano in the 1979/80 season – Sion have won the Swiss Cup twice. In 2006, through defeating Young Boys on penalties in the final, and by so doing becoming the first team from the country’s second tier to lift the trophy, Sion stood triumphant. Stade Tourbillon academy product Gelson Fernandes, who was sold to Manchester City a year later for €6M – the highest amount received by the Swiss club – was a key player in the victory.

In 2009, Sion won the Swiss Cup for the second time in Constantin’s reign, again beating Young Boys. The victory continued Sion’s impressive record of winning every Swiss Cup final they have contested – the club have won 11 in total. At the time Sion’s coach was Didier Tholot, who had managed the Canton Valais side for 13 months – almost a record for a Sion coach.

The Swiss press have often been harsh in their judgements of Constantin, dubbing the Sion president, amongst other things, “self-centred”, “red-blooded”, “disrespectful”, “volcanic” and “arrogant”. Sion’s players though have a somewhat different opinion of the man who saved their club from the abyss and is passionate about it succeeding.

“He put a lot of money into the club”, said Sion striker Saidu Adeshina, “and he wants to see some results. Many players have good relationships with him. Me too. I think he only needs to understand that in football it is impossible to always win. We must also consider that there are opponents [who also want to win].” A simple idea indeed, and one that still needs to be appreciated at the Stade Tourbillon.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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St. Gallen latest Swiss club to fight for future

Another piece of Swiss footballing history came close to falling apart recently as FC St. Gallen, the oldest club of all in the Alpine country, suffered under the burden of huge financial difficulties. St. Gallen were even threatened with direct relegation to the Prima Lega, the country’s third division.

Since the new millennium dawned, four Swiss clubs have been declared bankrupt: Lausanne (2002), Lugano (2003), Servette (2005) and La Chaux de Fonds (2009). Moreover, Grasshopper, the most successful club side in Switzerland’s history, are struggling to survive in the Super League, lacking the financial resources to reclaim their place towards the top of the table.

St. Gallen had debts of £10.1M, and of that £3.1M was due to be paid just last week. The club tried to find new financial backing with a plan named “Futura”. Local banks, public and private investors were all approached with a view to pumping money into the team to address what is a desperate situation; St.Gallen’s players agreed to a wage cut too.

Yet Futura was judged to have been a failure. St Gallen chairman Michael Huppi admitted as much during a press conference, stating: “The city government denied support to cover the first two million of our debt”, but refused to give up hope, “we are not finished yet. Many local businessmen are ready to do their part and we’re still waiting for the banks’ decision. Needless to say, their support is vital. St. Gallen are very sick, but not dead yet.”

And Huppi’s prayers were answered when local business leaders clubbed together to inject £6.4M into the club. The money may not have got St. Gallen out of the woods yet – the club must still demonstrate that its restructuring plan is viable – but it has staved off imminent danger and demonstrated clearly that the community will continue to support their side.

In this season’s Super League, St Gallen dwell in the lower reaches, only a poor Grasshopper keeping them off the bottom of the league. Last summer, coach Uli Forte lost several players of note: Ze Vitor, Moreno Merenda, Marc Zellwegger and, above all, playmaker Moreno Costanzo. This group had previously helped St. Gallen enjoy a steady 2009/10 campaign, culminating in a comfortable mid-table finish. The situation has been complicated further by the fact that Dutch newcomers Sandro Calabro and Tim Bakens – free transfers from VVV-Venlo and Volendam respectively – have so far flopped and failed to replace the quality which Forte has lost. Last but not least for the coach, experienced striker Mario Frick is often sidelined due to ongoing injury problems.

There is some good news for the AFG Arena outfit though, with a group of talented youngsters ready to step into the breach. Michael Lang, Nico Abegglen, Fabian Frei and Philip Muntwiler represent a so called “golden generation” for the club. Attacking midfielder Frei has stolen most of the plaudits so far and looks one to watch. The 21-year-old arrived at St. Gallen in July 2009, on loan from Basel, who had packed him off to gain more first team experience. Frei has so far proven his worth, scoring nine goals in 40 games and becoming a key man in Forte’s 4-2-3-1 system. At international level the youngster has begun to make an impact too. A former Under-16 and Under-18 Swiss champion with Basel, Frei has impressed with Switzerland’s Under-21s, opening the scoring in the country’s 4-1 win over Sweden in the 2011 European Championship playoffs.

Since St. Gallen were founded in 1879, the Espen as they are known, have picked up two titles and one Swiss Cup, the most exciting season in their history coming in the 1999/2000 campaign where the team surprised the entire country by topping the table by a comfortable ten points. Coach Marcel Koller and Ghanaian striker Charles Amoah, who ended the season as the league’s top scorer, were key to bringing the title back to St. Gallen after 96 years.

The glory days however didn’t last for long, and St. Gallen quickly slipped back into their familiar role of a solid mid-table outfit. In 2008, the club replaced the Espenmoos, their home ground, with a multi-use stadium named the AFG Arena. But, as the new ground was opened St. Gallen slid down into the Challenge League, and relegation dampened demand for the stadium’s VIP section, while business events also suffered. The AFG Arena was soon in the red, and this impacted on the club’s finances.

Bulgarian boss Krassimir Balakov was replaced upon relegation by former FC Wil coach Uli Forte and it took the Swiss-Italian just one season to bounce St. Gallen back up to the Super League; Forte’s side won the title by eight points over Lugano and set a new Challenge League record with an average attendance of 12,500. Outside of giants Basel and Young Boys, St. Gallen can attract more fans than any other Swiss club

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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Frei's overdue Champions League arrival boosts Basel

Alexander Frei is hugely experienced and well-known throughout European football. It is then slightly surprising to discover that Switzerland’s all-time top scorer only made his Champions League bow this season. However, the 31-year-old, plying his trade at Basel, firmly intends to make up for lost time, with his goals boosting the Super League side’s chances of reaching the last 16.

After a brace against Sheriff Tiraspol in the playoff round, Frei has so far hit the target against both Bayern Munich and Roma in the group phase. And while against the Germans his goal wasn’t enough to help Basel to their first points of the Champions League, a powerful shot to open the scoring away to Roma was. Frei’s goal in the Italian capital proved vital in giving Basel the belief and motivation to secure a famous victory.

Basel’s win over Roma was the first time a Swiss club had beaten the Serie A giants at home after five consecutive defeats and allowed Frei’s side to jump from bottom of their four-team group to second, due to a superior goal difference over Cluj and Roma. Frei’s coach, German Thorsten Fink, didn’t have to think too hard before pointing to the striker as a key component in Basel’s chances of success against bigger clubs.

“Although we are underdogs on the European stage, we can always count on experienced players like Frei, [Benjamin] Huggel and [Marco] Streller”, said Fink. “They are natural born leaders and are able to give the team the self-confidence needed to play against stronger opponents. I was confident of a good result against Roma, because they have always brought me luck. Last year in the Europa League we beat them 2-0 in Basel; while when I was a player I scored a brace against them in the UEFA Cup in 1996/97 with Karlsruhe.”

Frei returned home in the summer of 2009, having left the German Bundesliga, his home for three years, to sign for Basel; the 31-year-old’s goals were vital in helping the club win the Super League last season. Despite having been sidelined for two months due to a broken arm, the striker scored 15 goals in 19 matches and played an important role in the club’s Swiss Cup win too, leading Basel to the final with two consecutive braces, against FC Zurich in the quarter final and FC Biel/Bienne in the semi final.

A well-tested partnership with Streller, Frei’s team-mate with both Basel and the Swiss national team, is one of the foundations on which the club’s success has been built and continues to be a factor in their status as favourites once again in the new Super League season. Frei has so far managed eight goals and three assists in the league, helping Fink’s side to stay in touch with Hakan Yakin’s surprise package Luzern.

Over a professional career spanning 16 years, Frei has managed 140 goals in 280 games, with 40 of those coming for his country. The leading scorer in France’s Ligue 1 in 2005 with Rennes, voted Swiss Player of the Year twice, the striker has enjoyed a glittering career. It all began with hometown club Basel, leading to a trek through Switzerland with Thun, Luzern and Servette, and then on to France (four seasons with Rennes) and Germany (three with Borussia Dortmund), before coming back home to the club where it all started.

Injuries have always been Frei’s Achilles heel though. Since 2007, the forward has been out of action for a total of more than 17 months and at Euro 2008, a torn knee ligament did for his involvement in the tournament his country co-hosted with Austria; Frei managed just 45 minutes. Even two years later, in South Africa, he could only play 64 minutes of World Cup finals football. Frei’s supporters contend that with more luck on the fitness front, the Swiss star could have made an even bigger splash in the game. It is hard to argue.

If Frei hadn’t become a professional footballer, he would have probably ended up working in an office, following his qualification as a tax accountant. However, the striker grew up in a sporting family and, luckily for Switzerland, and Basel, followed in the footsteps of his uncle, a former footballer in the country’s top division. It is thanks to this that Frei has spent his time filling opponents’ nets rather than filling out tax forms.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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La ballata triste di un piccolo genio incompreso

C’è una splendida ballata del compianto Jeff Buckley intitolata “Vancouver”, ed è un concentrato di malinconia. Per ciò che è passato, per ciò che avrebbe potuto essere, per quello che rimane. La fine dei sogni, o qualcosa di simile. Leggere del passaggio di Davide Chiumiento ai Vancouver Whitecaps procura la stessa sensazione.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi)

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Yakin, mi piaci Thun

Un nuovo nome nella categoria allenatori emergenti? Murat Yakin. Lo ricordavamo come un solido e roccioso difensore nel Basilea e nella nazionale svizzera, e oggi lo ritroviamo, con identico carisma, sulla panchina del Thun neopromosso nella Super League.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi)

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Thun turning back time in Switzerland

From the Axpo Super League’s main underdogs to real dark horses: Newly promoted Thun are undisputedly the biggest surprise in this year’s Swiss championship, riding high as the only unbeaten side left in the league.

Young coach Murat Yakin has so far shown great ability in imposing his mentality on the team and coaxing out performances of note from a group of unheralded players. “Thun have impressed everybody with their brave and beautiful football”. That is the verdict of the local press. Hard work, a never-say-die attitude and, importantly, attacking football, appear to be the secrets of the side’s success.

In truth the club from the canton of Berne have always shown a positive approach to the game. Never more so was this evident than through the way Yakin’s men stopped Swiss giants Basel and Young Boys from steamrollering them, a 1-1 draw in each game was just reward. Thun’s greatest display though came at Neuchatal Xamax; two-nil down, Yakin’s men would not give up and fought back to grab a 3-2 win. It is this strong character which has surprised the Super League. That clubs should have it is not a surprise; that a side just promoted from a division lower do and can display it against the best, is.

It took just one year for Murat Yakin to lead Thun to promotion to the top flight. The 35-year-old centre back, who made his name playing for Grasshopper, Stuttgart, Fenerbahce and Basel, guided his men to the Challenge League title on the final day, overtaking Lugano who had gone into the final set of fixtures with a one-point lead. However, the canton Ticino side could only draw at home to Vaduz, while Thun smashed six past Gossau to win 6-2.

Key players in the club’s promotion success were young midfielder Stiepan Kukuruzovic and Argentine playmaker Ezequiel Scarione. The former left in the summer for Zurich, while the latter continues to play a vital role in Yakin’s 4-2-3-1 system. This season Scarione has cemented his spot as Thun’s most naturally gifted player, scoring twice, providing two assists and regularly displaying trickery on the left flank.

This year, Thun decided to gamble on a host of inexperienced players to maintain their top flight status. German forward Nick Proschwitz, the top scorer in the Challenge League last season with 23 goals, but unproven in any top flight, has been trusted to provide the firepower. On the right flank Dennis Heidiger has his chance and goalkeeper David Da Costa, who began last season on the bench of Chiasso in the Prima Lega – Swiss football’s third tier – was given a vote of confidence. Proschwitz has so far bagged four goals in seven games, while Heidiger and Da Costa are amongst this season’s best performers, along with their flair-filled team-mate Scarione.

Little Thun have enjoyed the spotlight before though, and in 2005 really broke into the big time when they reached the group stages of the Champions League by knocking out Dynamo Kyiv and Malmo in the qualifying rounds. With a budget of just €3M, they were one of the smallest clubs ever to take their place at European football’s top table. “It was a real miracle”, remembered forward Mauro Lustrinelli, at that time the team’s star turn, “if we consider that only nine years earlier Thun were still playing in the third division.” The Swiss minnows were rewarded for their exploits with a group containing Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague; Thun finished third.

However, after the sun came the rain, and when the Champions League bandwagon had rolled on things turned sour for Thun. In 2008 the club were relegated from the Super League and 12 current or former Thun players were involved in a sex scandal, suspected of having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Just one year later the club were also forced to suspend a player suspected of match-fixing.

With the coming of Murat Yakin though, the future once again looks bright for Thun. The club have hit the headlines for all the right reasons and this could be the start of a new and exciting adventure.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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New-look Young Boys ready to win Spurs

The memorable 1-0 win over Fenerbahce in Istanbul has been, so far, the first bright spot in an otherwise dull sky for Young Boys Bern; their start to the season has been one to forget. Thus far, Vladimir Petkovic’s men have been unable to shrug off the disappointment of last season when Basel snatched the Swiss title from their grasp at the death. Until the final two games of the season Young Boys had dominated the Swiss Super League and the collection of their first title since 1986 seemed just a formality.

"I didn’t expect such a difficult beginning", Petkovic admitted. It took four games for Young Boys to win their first three points of the season, defeating Grasshoppers 2-1 in Zurich. Prior to that, the Yellow-Blacks managed just two points from their first three matches, losing to small Bellinzona and drawing with Luzern and newly promoted Thun. Not the best way to state their intention to win this season’s Super League; or defeat Tottenham Hotspur to reach the Champions League group stages either.

In Bern doubts began to grow about Petkovic’s future at the Wankdorf Stadium, rumours spreading that the club’s board were getting ready to pull the trigger. However, the impressive dispatching of Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium – in the process Young Boys became the first Swiss team ever to win a game in Istanbul – has bought the coach more time and Petkovic will work furiously to rediscover last season’s form. For Petkovic Young Boys’ form is now, more than ever, personal, after sections of the media labelled the Bosnian as the "always comes second coach". The 46-year-old has, so far, lost two Swiss Cup finals – the first with Bellinzona and the second with Young Boys – and has led the Yellow-Blacks to two consecutive second place finishes in the
Super League.

It hasn’t been easy going for Petkovic this summer and for that he is surely due some sympathy. Young Boys lost two key players in the form of Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia (sold to CSKA Moscow) and fellow countryman and midfield live-wire Gilles Yapi-Yapo (headed to Basel on a free transfer). "These departures have unquestionably weakened Young Boys" commented respected Swiss Super League expert Paolo Galli in a column at Il Giornale del Popolo, "but they will not cover up the unimpressive performance of the team for a long time anymore."

Doumbia and Yapi-Yapo have been replaced at the Wankdorf by Cameroon striker Henri Bienvenu and Swiss rising talent Moreno Costanzo. Bienvenu, despite having been bought from Esperance Tunis only last January, has become a regular only in this current campaign, playing a vital role in the Champions League third qualifying round victory over Fenerbahce by scoring the winner in Istanbul. Costanzo, a 22-year-old playmaker from St. Gallen, has assumed an important role too, showing great technique and vision in the home leg against the Turks and converting an 89th minute penalty to snatch a 2-2 draw for Young Boys.

This season Petkovic has switched from a 3-4-3 to a 4-1-4-1 system. Apart from Bienvenu and Costanzo, Young Boys have a raft of impressive performers such as goalkeeper Marco Wolfli, central defender Emiliano Dudar and veteran stopper Christoph Spycher, just back from five years in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite playing at left back with Frankfurt, Petkovic has deployed Spycher as a defensive midfielder, his original role.

When the Swiss side face English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League playoff round they will be clear underdogs. While Spurs are expected to progress, Young Boys can play with relative freedom. This could well be their biggest advantage and Petkovic will hope that victory over the Premier League club can act as a further spurs for his side, in much the same way the disposing of Fenerbahce has.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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Super League 2010/2011: spunti iniziali

Cinque temi per la nuova stagione della Super League svizzera.

1. Chi fermerà il Basilea? I renani di Thorsten Fink restano la squadra da battere. Lo scorso anno riuscirono a vincere nonostante una partenza ad handicap a causa delle difficoltà di ambientamento del nuovo tecnico. Oggi invece, con il 3-2 allo Zurigo nell’esordio, i rossoblu hanno dimostrato di essere già a pieno regime. In rosa il Basilea annovera il miglior centrocampista del campionato (l’ivoriano Yapi, scippato ai rivali dello Young Boys), due punte (Frei e Streller) da venti gol a stagione, un portiere (Sommer) tra i più interessanti della Super League, un leader carismatico in mediana (Huggel) e una serie di giovani interessanti (Inkoom, Shaqiri, Stocker, Zoua). Una superiorità talmente manifesta che renderebbe l’eventuale mancata vittoria del titolo nazionale un’autentica impresa. Alla rovescia.

2. Paghi uno, perdi due. Uno dei principali colpi di mercato, se non addirittura quello più importante, lo ha messo a segno lo Young Boys prelevando dal San Gallo il classe 88 Moreno Costanzo. Ex ala riconvertita in numero 10, nella passata stagione Costanzo aveva colpito per la capacità di calarsi subito in un contesto importante come la Super League, dopo i positivi esordi nella serie cadetta elvetica. Peccato che lo Young Boys abbia nel frattempo perso due elementi chiave nel 3-4-3 di Vlado Petkovic: il già citato Yapi e l’attaccante ivoriano Doumbia, quest’ultimo passato al CSKA Mosca. I bernesi pertanto si collocano più vicini alla zona coppe europee, dove se la vedranno con i due club di Zurigo e il sempre temibile Lucerna della coppia Yakin-Ianu (peccato per la partenza di un Chiumiento fortemente deciso a ritentare l’avventura all’estero), piuttosto che a quella del titolo nazionale.

3. La legge di Constantin. Il presidente del Sion Christian Constantin è un signore pieno di grana abituato a fare ciò che vuole. Tanto, se qualcosa va male, può sempre permettersi di schierare uno stuolo di avvocati che, a suon di ricorsi, rimettono tutto a posto. Fece così qualche anno fa quando riuscì ad iscrivere il Sion alla Challenge League a ottobre (!!), ha replicato oggi. La Federazione svizzera blocca il mercato del Sion quale sanzione per le irregolarità nel trasferimento del nazionale egiziano El Hadary? Nessun problema, Constantin compra lo stesso e poi ricorre in tribunale. Ecco così alla prima giornata, sul campo del Bellinzona, i vallesani in campo con tutti i neo-acquisti: l’ex Ajax Ogararu, il centrale olandese Dingsdag, il mediano Lacerda (dallo Strasburgo). Curiosamente quest’anno il Sion sembra essere, sulla carta, di buon livello: le geometrie di Obradovic, il dinamismo di Zambrella, la solidità di Vanczak. Una squadra che può combinare qualcosa di interessante. Anche senza avvocati.

4. Volti nuovi. L’impronunciabile Kukuruzovic è un esterno destro classe 89 che ha rivestito un ruolo chiave nella promozione del Thun lo scorso anno. Lo ha prelevato lo Zurigo, sperando che riesca dove il prodotto locale Nikci ha finora fallito. Il Grasshoppers che per esigenze di bilancio è costretto a vendere quanto più possibile, non può che investire sui giovani. Il centrocampista destro Lang (87), arrivato dall’Aarau, è atteso al salto di qualità. Capocannoniere delle Challenge League 2009/2010 nel Vaduz, il tedesco Proschwitz (86) quest’anno dovrà garantire al Thun le reti salvezza. All’esordio, contro lo Young Boys, ha già timbrato il cartellino. Buon segno. Forte è anche l’attesa per l’attaccante camerunese Zoua (91), già scalpitante lo scorso anno nel Basilea alle spalle della coppia Frei-Streller.

5. Si salvi chi può. Mentre in Challenge League il Canton Ticino festeggia la contemporanea presenza di tre squadre (Chiasso, Locarno e Lugano), un gradino più sopra la posizione del Bellinzona scricchiola vistosamente. Già salvatosi lo scorso anno dopo un sofferto play-off contro il Lugano al termine di una stagione pessima, il club granata non ha apportato sostanziali modifiche ad una rosa di modesto spessore tecnico. Troppi elementi cardine sono over 30: Lustrinelli in attacco, Sermeter in cabina di regia (il 36enne rimane, sotto il profilo qualitativo, il miglior elemento della squadra), Edusei in mediana, il neo-acquisto Pergl dietro. In attesa della firma dell’ex Azzurro Diana. Il Bellinzona dovrà sostanzialmente fare la corsa su tre squadre: un San Gallo indebolito dal mercato, un grigio Neuchatel Xamax e la neopromossa Thun. Ma sarà dura.

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Switzerland Reflect on Super League Stars of 2009/10

Switzerland has bid farewell to another season. The 2009/10 campaign ended with three thrilling head-to-head clashes: Basel against Young Boys for the title; Thun meeting Lugano to contest promotion to the Super League; Bellinzona versus Lugano again in the promotion/relegation playoff. Basel, Thun and Bellinzona were the victorious sides, and now Switzerland can assess which stars really made an impact this season.
Here's the seven most impressive players of the Swiss season:

Marco Streller
Along with midfielder Benjamin Huggel, Marco Streller is the symbol of 2009/10 Super League champions Basel – both tough footballers for a tough team. While they may not play attractive football, and style and technique are not their most potent weapons, they do know how to win.
With 21 league goals, Streller has played a key role in helping Basel to their 13th league title. The striker's performances were impressive all season long, despite having to operate with four different partners up front, from veteran Alexander Frei (who suffered a broken arm in February), Australian Scott Chipperfield, Argentine bench-warmer Federico Almerares, right through to Cameroon rising star Jacques Zoua. Last January Streller turned down a move to English side Fulham and Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld convinced him to continue his international career after Euro 2008 – both of those decisions look to have paid dividends.

Seydou Doumbia
In the summer of 2008, Young Boys signed Seydou Doumbia from the Japanese second division. Two years later and a fine spell in the Super League has shown the signing of the Ivorian to have been a real masterstroke: In 2008/09 Doumbia netted 20 goals, and this year he scored 30.
Even the performances of Doumbia weren't enough this season to help Young Boys bag a first title since 1986, as they missed out to Basel. While the Berne club dominated the Swiss league until the spring, then their form dropped, culminating in losing the last two games of the season. This missed opportunity should be quickly forgotten by Doumbia though, the striker is heading to Russia and CSKA Moscow after the World Cup.

Hakan Yakin
Hakan Yakin is a name well known to Swiss football fans, and this past summer Luzern decided to bring the skilled midfielder back home from Qatar. It wasn't easy to predict whether Yakin still possessed the motivation to perform at the highest level, but he soon proved he could make a difference, helping the club to qualification for the Europa League.
Yakin notched 10 goals and 10 assists, but perhaps more importantly, the midfielder played a vital role in helping to bring the best out of his team-mates. Beneficiaries were Romanian forward Christian Ianu (21 goals, having only scored six last season) and former Juventus starlet David Chiumiento (11 goals). In South Africa Yakin will line up for his second World Cup.
Brother Murat Yakin also enjoyed a great season, coaching Thun to win the Challenge League and return to Switzerland's top flight.

Samuel Inkoom
20-year-old Ghana right back Samuel Inkoom has spent this season living up to comparisons with Brazil star Maicon and won't quickly forget his 2009/10 campaign. This season Inkoom has won almost every single competition he has taken part in: With Ghana he won the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, finished as runner-up in the African Cup of Nations and bagged a league and cup double with Basel in Switzerland.
Inkoom moved to St. Jakob-Park from Kumasi Asante Kotoko in April 2009, and after a difficult start was praised for his positive personality. Basel's chairman Gisela Oeri has gone on record as stating Inkoom is now the subject of heavy interest from many of Europe's elite.

Gilles Yapi Yapo
The Ivory Coast man held the key to the Young Boys midfield this past season. A series of outstanding performances, both as a defensive midfielder and playmaker, helped the club to remain top of the league for much of the campaign. In January Yapi shocked Young Boys fans by announcing he had penned a three-year deal with rivals Basel. The imagined lack of commitment shown by key players such as Yapi and Doumbia was pinpointed by supporters as vital reason why Young Boys lost out on the title at the death.
Yapi arrived in Europe in 2001, following French coach Jean-Marc Guillou to Belgium and Beveren, where the club consisted mainly of players from the Ivory Coast. Despite much criticism, Beveren developed a host of great talents, and Yapi, alongside Gervinho, Yaya Toure, Romaric and Emmanuel Eboue, has proved to be one of the best.

Moreno Costanzo
Moreno Costanzo must rank as one of the best young players of the 2009/10 Super League season, with 14 goals to his name and a universally acknowledged impact, helping St. Gallen to a comfortable mid-table finish.
Last season, Costanzo had been vital too, with 14 goals in 24 games as his side clinched promotion to the top flight. In the Swiss second tier Costanzo has played as a forward, but upon promotion soon found himself deployed on the right side of midfield. Then St. Gallen coach Uli Forte had a brainwave and played the youngster as a classic number 10, just behind his two strikers – Costanzo never looked back.
Already in-demand, the 22-year-old with Italian roots seems ready to step up to a higher level. In fact, Costanzo is amongst the options Young Boys are considering to fill Gilles Yapi Yapo's role.

Frank Feltscher
The 22-year-old midfielder has been one of the few bright spots in Bellinzona's horrible season. On loan from Italian side Lecce, Feltscher saved the day with a late winner in the promotion/relegation playoff against Lugano.
Bellinzona, with the smallest budget in the entire Super League, managed to survive the duel with Challenge League side Lugano, thanks in no small part to Feltscher. The Granata won 2-1 at home and drew 0-0 at the Cornaredo Stadium after 90 minutes of defensive football. With his dribbling ability and outstanding vision, Feltscher has given Bellinzona another season of top flight football.

Fonte: Inside Futbol

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