Switzerland (Group A)
Squad | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2008 | Euro History
| Squad | ||
| Player | Position | Club |
| Diego Benaglio | Goalkeeper | Wolfsburg (Germany) |
| Eldin Jakupovic | Goalkeeper | Grasshopper |
| Pascal Zuberbuehler | Goalkeeper | Xamax Neuchatel |
| Philipp Degen | Defender | Borussia Dortmund (Germany) |
| Johan Djourou | Defender | Arsenal (England) |
| Stephane Grichting | Defender | Auxerre (France) |
| Stephan Lichtsteiner | Defender | Lille (France) |
| Ludovic Magnin | Defender | Stuttgart (Germany) |
| Patrick Mueller | Defender | Lyon (Olympique France) |
| Philippe Senderos | Defender | Arsenal (England) |
| Christoph Spycher | Defender | Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) |
| Tranquillo Barnetta | Midfielder | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Valon Behrami | Midfielder | Lazio (Italy) |
| Ricardo Cabanas | Midfielder | Grasshopper |
| Gelson Fernandes | Midfielder | Manchester City (England) |
| Daniel Gygax | Midfielder | FC Metz (France) |
| Benjamin Huggel | Midfielder | Basel |
| Gokhan Inler | Midfielder | Udinese (Italy) |
| Johan Vonlanthen | Midfielder | Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) |
| Eren Derdiyok | Forward | Basel |
| Alexander Frei | Forward | Borussia Dortmund (Germany) |
| Marco Streller | Forward | Basel |
| Hakan Yakin | Forward | Young Boys |
| Head Coach: | Kobi Kuhn | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Kobi Kuhn uses a compact and diamond-shaped 4-4-2 formation, and preaches organization, defensive stability and hard work in midfield. Defence is the first priority – the Swiss did not concede a single goal en route to winning their first-round group at the 2006 World Cup – using a combination of zonal defending and team positioning to snuff out the opposition's attack. It's effective but it comes at a cost: the Swiss have a problem scoring goals. The two wide fullbacks, Philipp Degen and Ludovic Magnin, are given the freedom to press forward down the wings in support of the attack. Without a legitimate playmaker in midfield, the Swiss rely on a quick passing game to move the ball around to try to catch the defence out of position. Alexander Frei plays as the lone target man up front, usually with another forward (Johan Vonlanthen) who lines up just behind in support and tries to drag defenders out of position and open space up for him. Kuhn has also been known to employ a 4-1-3-1 setup, with a holding midfielder (Gokhan Inler) acting as a shield in front of the defence and three attacking midfielders (Tranquillo Barnetta, Valon Behrami and Gelson Fernandes) lining up across the field in support of Frei.
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Benaglio - (D) Magnin, Mueller, Senderos, Degen - (M) Barnetta, Inler, Behrami, Fernandes - (F) Frei, Vonlanthen
Strengths
Coaching – Kobi Kuhn has been in charge of the Swiss team for seven years and has the unquestioned respect of his players after guiding them to qualification for Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. An intelligent tactician, Kuhn gets the most out of his players and isn't afraid to shake things up – he kicked former team captain Johan Vogel off the team for insubordination.
Confidence – Although the Swiss did not have the benefit of playing in the qualifiers – as co-hosts they automatically qualified – they have racked up a number of impressive performances in the past year, coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Argentina and posting a 2-1 win over the Netherlands.
Home field – The Swiss have a decided advantage over th eir Group A opponents in that all of their first-round contests will be home games, played in Basel. This is the first time Switzerland is hosting a major tournament, and the Swiss fans will be out in full force to support their national team.
Weaknesses
Scoring – Goals have historically been pretty hard to come by for a Swiss team that stresses defending and organization first, scoring second. Aside from Alexander Frei, Switzerland doesn't have a legitimate goal-scoring threat up front. With little offensive support coming from the midfield, it's hard to see how the Swiss will score goals.
Midfield creativity – The Swiss have a handful of talented midfielders, but are lacking a true playmaker – one player who can orchestrate the attack and dictate the pace of the game with his control of the ball. Switzerland's midfield, while hard working, lacks a touch of offensive class.
Tough group – UEFA didn't do Switzerland any favours when it drew the hosts into a group that includes tournament favourites Portugal, a talented Czech Republic team, and a resurgent Turkey. For a team that has never won a single game in two previous Euro appearances, overcoming countries of this calibre may be asking too much of the hosts.
Players to watch
Tranquillo Barnetta – One of the rising stars of Swiss soccer. Still only 23, the talented midfielder makes things happen on the left side of the field, causing defenders plenty of problems with his probing runs and quick feet. Also takes pressure off the forwards with his goal-scoring ability.
Alexander Frei – The 27-year-old is Switzerland's most dangerous and prolific goal-scorer. Although not fast or physically strong, Frei is an energetic, athletic striker who boasts an accurate shot, makes dangerous runs off the ball, and is equally adept at scoring with either foot.
Ludovic Magnin – An experienced left back with over 40 caps to his credit, Magnin gives the Swiss peace of mind with his assured and consistent performances in defence. He also possesses a powerful free kick, offering Switzerland another attacking option.
Key injuries/sqaud omissions: Defender Patrick Mueller (knee) and midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta (ankle) were included in the Swiss, despite lingering injury concerns. Coach Koebi Kuhn overlooked 34-year-old striker Thomas Haeberli and defender Mario Eggimann. Defender Steve von Bergen, goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti and striker Blaise Nkufo were ruled out due to injuries.
Road to Euro 2008
1st round matches:
June 7 vs. Czech Republic (Basel)
June 11 vs. Turkey (Basel)
June 15 vs. Portugal (Basel
Euro 2008 qualification route
Automatically qualified as co-hosts
Euro History
Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 2
All-time record: 6 GP - 0 W, 2 T, 4 L
Goals for: 2
Goals against: 10
Most goals: Johan Vonlanthen and Kubilay Turkyilmaz (1)
Most appearances: Stephane Henchoz and Johann Vogel (5)
Best result: 1-1 vs. England in 1996
Biggest loss: 0-3 vs. England in 2004
Euro results:
1960 - did not enter competition
1964 to 1992 - did not qualify
1996 - first round
2000 - did not qualify
2004 - first round
Legends from the past
Heinz Hermann: Switzerland's all-time caps leader with 117 appearances from 1978-91. The midfielder scored 15 times for his country in international competition and was a star player in the 1980s in the Swiss first division, winning league MVP honours from 1984-88.
Kubilay Turkyilmaz: Switzerland's co-joint all-time leading scorer, with 34 goals in 62 games from 1988-2001. Turkyilmaz was a talented striker who was probably best known for scoring the tying goal in a 1-1 draw with England in the opening match of Euro '96 at Wembley Stadium.