PostedSeptember 19, 2022, 1:07 p.m.
FootballWhy Switzerland should not be relegated to the League of Nations
Two matches at the end of September, two months before the World Cup. Common issues.
Murat Yakin’s mission during these two matches in September: to keep Switzerland in the top flight of the League of Nations. To best prepare for the World Cup, in two months.
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The Swiss team is in its final stretch before the World Cup in Qatar. In mid-November, she will fly to Doha, to meet Cameroon, Brazil and Serbia. But before that, there is the League of Nations. Two more matches, Saturday and Tuesday, in Spain and Saint-Gall once morest the Czech Republic. Nothing out of the ordinary, actually.
At stake: maintaining in the elite of the League of Nations. For several reasons, these two meetings are much more important than it seems. For Murat Yakin, the coach. For Switzerland. We look at why.
Play with the best
The Nations League is like a championship. In the European group, UEFA’s 55 teams are divided into different divisions. LNA, LNB, third and fourth division way.
The 16 best selections of the continent are grouped in division A. Switzerland is part of it for the third consecutive time. And that’s important. This allows him to rub shoulders with the best nations of the moment. In three editions, Switzerland played once morest Belgium, Spain, Germany, Portugal, to name only these leading teams.
It is by confronting the best that Switzerland progresses. It is thanks to his performances once morest Germany (two draws last season), Belgium (great success 5-2 during the first edition), Portugal (victorious reaction in June in Geneva following the heavy defeat in Lisbon), that Swiss internationals are asserting themselves at the highest level. It is these achievements that allow a team to straighten their heads when they are down 3-1 in the round of 16 at a Euro, for example.
Relegation: consequences
Switzerland might not stay among the elite. What consequences? Relegation to the second division means facing much less prestigious opponents next season.
In Division 2 of the League of Nations, there are currently Slovenia, Armenia, Albania, Finland, Scotland or Iceland, in particular. On the sidelines of a feeling of failure, if necessary, a relegation induces a drop in level. To avoid.
And then, to fill the stadiums in Switzerland during home matches, it is better to play once morest the cadors of the elite. Not to mention UEFA’s salaries, which are more important for the elite. The economic aspect joins the sportsman. It is also important.
A signal before the World Cup
In two months, the selection of Murat Yakin will be in Qatar for the World Cup. Getting there following being relegated to the second division of the League of Nations is not a desirable option. To prepare well for the big meeting, Switzerland must save its place in the elite, this will help create a positive dynamic before the World Cup.
The League of Nations is undoubtedly the poor relation of international meetings, so far behind a Euro and even more than a World Cup. We would even completely forget a possible relegation if Switzerland were to shine in Qatar. But to put all the assets on his side and prepare as well as possible, it would be better to stay in the elite, of course.
Last in Group 2 (one win, three losses so far), Switzerland is in bad shape (s) before its last two Nations League matches. She plays in Zaragoza once morest Spain (Saturday 24) and then in Saint-Gall once morest the Czech Republic (Tuesday 27).
Everything is still complex. But one certainty: if Switzerland beats the Spaniards and the Czechs, it remains among the elite.
Otherwise, Yakin and his team are almost forced to beat the Czech Republic in the last match, barring a feat in Spain combined with a Czech defeat on Saturday at home to Portugal. In this case, a draw might suffice.
First elements of response Saturday in Zaragoza, with an eye to keep on Czechia-Portugal. DVI