| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Diego Benaglio | Goalkeeper | CD Nacional (Portugal) |
| Fabio Coltorti | Goalkeeper | Grasshoppers Zurich |
| Pascal Zuberbuehler | Goalkeeper | FC Basel |
| Valon Behrami | Defender | Lazio (Italy) |
| Philipp Degen | Defender | Borussia Dortmund (Germany) |
| Johan Djourou | Defender | Arsenal (England) |
| Stephane Grichting | Defender | Auxerre (France) |
| Ludovic Magnin | Defender | VfB Stuttgart (Germany) |
| Patrick Mueller | Defender | Olympique Lyon (France) |
| Philippe Senderos | Defender | Arsenal (England) |
| Christoph Spycher | Defender | Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) |
| Tranquillo Barnetta | Midfielder | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Ricardo Cabanas | Midfielder | Cologne (Germany) |
| David Degen | Midfielder | FC Basel |
| Blerim Dzemaili | Midfielder | FC Zurich |
| Daniel Gygax | Midfielder | Lille (France) |
| Xavier Margairaz | Midfielder | FC Zurich |
| Johann Vogel | Midfielder | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Raphael Wicky | Midfielder | Hamburg SV (Germany) |
| Hakan Yakin | Midfielder | Young Boys Berne |
| Alexander Frei | Forward | Rennes (France) |
| Mauro Lustrinelli | Forward | Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) |
| Marco Streller | Forward | Cologne (Germany) |
| Head Coach: | Koebi Kuhn | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Koebi Kuhn uses a compact and efficient 4-3-1-2 formation that stresses tight defensive play and hard work in midfield. Patrick Mueller (the veteran) and Philippe Senderos (the youngster) anchor the defence in the middle with their steely play, while the two wide fullbacks, Philipp Degen and Ludovic Magnin, are given the freedom to press forward down the wings in support of the attack. All four defenders are comfortable on the ball, and often launch the attack by feeding the midfield quartet. The fulcrum of the attack is Johan Vogel, who lines up behind the two strikers, Alex Frei and Marco Streller. Vogel serves as the team's playmaker and distributes the ball around the field, prying open defences with his accurate passes. Frei usually plays as the lone target man upfront, while Streller lines up just behind him and feeds off Frei's quick touches and passes. Kuhn has also been known to employ a 4-4-2 setup with a diamond formation in midfield.
Probable starting lineup (4-3-1-2): (GK) Pascal Zuberbuehler - (D) Philipp Degen, Patrick Mueller, Philippe Senderos, Ludovic Magnin - (M) Raphael Wicky, Ricardo Cabanas, Daniel Gygax - (M) Johann Vogel - (F) Alex Frei, Marco Streller
Strengths:
Tactical adaptability - Switzerland plays in a 4-3-1-2 formation with
AC Milan midfielder Johann Vogel slotting in just behind the two strikers
in a playmaking role. But the Swiss are not tied to this setup. On a moment's
notice, they can change to a variation of the 4-4-2 formation with Vogel dropping
back in a more defensive role in front of the back four, Hakan Yakin moving
forward as the playmaker and the other two midfielders pushing out wide.
Blend of old and young - Coach Koebi Kuhn has fashioned a team that
brilliantly mixes seasoned veterans with aspiring youngsters ready to reach
the next level. A strong defence, solid midfield and hard-working forwards
are marshalled by young and old players, one of the reasons why Switzerland
is such an efficient team.
Team Unity - Not a team of international superstars, Switzerland's
success in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup from a difficult group was due
to team unity. There are few egos in this side; every player knows his role
in this well-organized team, every player gives maximum effort every time
they step onto the field and they play as a cohesive unit.
Weaknesses:
Goalkeeping - Pascal Zuberbuhler is hardly the kind of goalkeeper who
can steal you a victory with a big save. The 35-year-old is a calamity between
the posts, as he routinely loses concentration and commits unforgivable errors
during key moments in the match. The only reason Switzerland sticks with Zuberbuhler
is because he is the 'best' they have.
Injuries - Top scorer Alexander Frei is coming off groin surgery and
fellow striker Marco Streller has had a series of nagging injuries this past
year. Playmaking midfielder Hakan Yakin (back) has been sidelined with injuries
and might not be fully fit. It doesn't bode well for the Swiss that three
of their key players likely won't be 100 per cent in Germany.
Inexperience - Though the Swiss have several talented players who ply
their trade across Europe, most of them see little first-team action and sit
on the bench. For many of these same players, Germany will be their first
taste of big-tournament-soccer and their relative inxeperience doesn't bode
well for a country who last competed at the World Cup in 1994.
Players to watch:
Alexander Frei - Swizterland's top scorer in the qualifiers with seven
goals, Frei gives his country a legitimate scoring threat up front. Slight
of foot and speedy, Frei is an energetic, athletic striker that is also strong
in the air and can score with either foot. He's coming of a recent groin injury
so he has a lot to prove, especially after coming of a lacklustre season with
Rennes in Ligue 1, the French first division.
Johann Vogel - The mercurial midfielder rarely sees any first-team
action at AC Milan these days, but the former PSV Eindhoven hero is a player
of unquestionable class, combining sound defensive prowess and superb distribution
skills. The 29-year-old captain also effectively retains possession of the
ball in crowded areas before releasing a teammate with a timely pass.
Philippe Senderos - The centre fullback is only 21 years old, but he
plays with all the maturity and guile of a seasoned veteran. Although not
the fastest player on the field, he compensates with his deft tackling skills
and impeccable positioning. He's coming off a successful season with Arsenal,
which should give him plenty of confidence going into the World Cup.
Key injuries/squad omissions: In a major surprise, coach Koebi Kuhn originally did not select Hakin Yakin. The creative playmaker had been a regular starter for Switzerland over the years, but he missed much of the past season with a groin injury. He recently returned to action, but Kuhn decided to leave him off the team and pick David Degen, instead. In a fortunate twist of fate (for Yakin) he ended up making the team after young striker Johan Vonlanthen was forced to withdraw because of a hamstring injury. Kuhn selected youngsters Johan Djourou and Blerim Dzemaili, two players who only made their national team debut in March. Midfielder Xavier Margairaz also made the squad, even though he's only played one game for the Swiss. Midfielder Benjamin Huggel is serving a six-match suspension handed down by FIFA, ruling him out for the World Cup.
Prognosis: Switzerland qualified for the 2006 World Cup, but just barely. After a 2-0 home victory in the opener of their two-game playoff with Turkey, the Swiss lost a 4-2 decision in the return leg, but still managed to win qualification on the away-goal rule. That Switzerland even made it to the playoffs was no small feat. The Swiss played in one of the tougher groups in European qualifying, beating out Israel and the Republic of Ireland to finish second behind France and claim one of the six playoff spots. Their obvious survival instincts will serve them well in Group G where they will take on France, Togo and South Korea. Switzerland and South Korea have enough quality players to go through to the next round, but the Swiss have the better goal-scoring record than the Koreans and they tied France twice in the qualifying round. They'll go through to the round of 16, but once there they'll be overmatched.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #35
1st round matches:
June 13 vs. France in Stuttgart
June 19 vs. Togo in Dortmund
June 23 vs. South Korea in Hanover
2006 qualification route: Defeated Turkey in a two-game playoff after
finishing second in Europe's Group 4 (20 points) behind France (22 points).
Qualifying record: 12 games played, 5 wins, 6 draws, 1 loss
Goals for: 22 Goals against: 11
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Alexander Frei (7)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
Sept. 4, 2004 - Switzerland 6, Faroe Islands 0
Sept. 8, 2004 - Switzerland 1, Republic of Ireland 1
Oct. 9, 2004 - Israel 2, Switzerland 2
March 26, 2005 - France 0, Switzerland 0
March 30, 2005 - Switzerland 1, Cyprus 0
June 4, 2005 - Faroe Islands 1, Switzerland 3
Sept. 3, 2005 - Switzerland 1, Israel 1
Sept. 7, 2005 - Cyprus 1, Switzerland 3
Oct. 8, 2005 - Switzerland 1, France 1
Oct. 12, 2005 - Republic of Ireland 0, Switzerland 0
Nov. 12, 2005 - Switzerland 2, Turkey 0
Nov. 16, 2005 - Turkey 4, Switzerland 2
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1904
Team nickname: Nati
All-time caps leader: Heinz Hermann (117)
All-time leading scorer: Max Abegglen and Kubilay Turkyilmaz (34)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 7
All-time record: 22 games played, 6 wins, 3 draws, 13 losses
Goals for: 33 Goals against: 51
World Cup History:
1930 - Did not enter
1934 - Quarter-finals
1938 - Quarter-finals
1950 - First Round
1954 - Quarter-finals
1958 - Did not qualify
1962 - First Round
1966 - First Round
1970 to 1990 - Did not qualify
1994 - Second Round
1998 - Did not qualify
2002 - Did not qualify
Biggest victory: 4-1 vs. Italy in 1954, 4-1 vs Romania in 1994
Biggest defeat: 5-0 vs. West Germany in 1966
Overall top scorer: Josef Hugi (6 goals)
Most appearances: Charles Antenen (8 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1954
Other Achievements:
Under-17 Euroepan Champions: 2002
Olympic Silver Medal: 1924
Greatest Players:
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 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 London's Wembley Stadium.