Hardly setting the world on fire at the last two World Cups, it is a rather surprising stat that Switzerland managed to lose only game in seven across those two outings, a record that also includes a 1 - 0 shock win against eventual champions Spain in South Africa.
At the very least, Switzerland have proven themselves to be a nation very well put together at the back, which was indeed shown in full as they held out the Spanish in that extraordinary group opener.
But this summer provides the template for this group of Swiss players to prove that they have finally built on their defensive resoluteness, as a new breed of young, exciting attackers lead Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side that held an undefeated record throughout their comprehensive qualification. Switzerland arrive in Brazil with the 4th youngest squad in the tournament, with the majority of this youth being focused on the more creative areas of the team.
Group E’s other competitors France, Honduras and Ecuador, first of all have the attacking triumvirate of Valentin Stocker (25), Josip Drmic (21) and Xherdan Shaqiri (22) to worry about.
Drmic, coming off of a breakout season with Nurnberg in Germany, has been the latest addition to the starting line-up and has been hailed as the final piece to complete Hitzfeld’s system.
Drmic has hit international football in his stride, scoring three goals in Switzerland’s three friendlies this year. This front three does have enough spark, pace and goals perfectly compliment the Swiss’ counterattacking system, most significantly for the France game where sitting back and breaking will most likely be the go-to approach.
Although it is this exciting trio that their opponents will be worrying about, it might be playmaker Granit Xhaka that proves to be the key cog in Hitzfeld’s machine. 21-year-old Xhaka is the youngest in the squad, and as a number 10 is more in the mould of a Mesut Ozil than a Kaka that’s looking to break beyond the line of defence.
Xhaka is a classy creator who is more prone to finding pockets of space and constantly trying to set up one of the aforementioned front line. Currently at Borussia Moenchengladbach, Xhaka does however have plenty of experience alongside Stocker and Shaqiri during their period together at Basel.
Switzerland have also benefited greatly from players playing together at club level behind Xhaka, where the three deep midfield options Valon Behrami, Gokhan Inler and Blerim Dzemaili all ply their trade at Napoli together. Choosing two from these three is probably the hardest decision Hitzfeld faces right now, with Dzemaili currently looking like dropping to the bench.
It is indeed the defence that have given rise to Switzerland’s impressive recent World Cup record, and now they boast one of the best full-back combinations this tournament will see. Stephen Lichsteiner has often been hailed as one of the most important players in Juventus’ recent success, where he has proven his bonus attacking ability in a wing-back role. While Ricardo Rodriguez, not to be confused with the WWE wrestler of the same name, has proved himself to be among the best crossers in Europe this season at Wolfsburg.
It is always great as fans to appreciate teams where it is hard to highlight one or two individuals dragging them forwards, and it is also very worrying as an opposing country to set up such an efficient machine as Switzerland. Victory against Honduras is a guarantee, while finding a win against Ecuador is a much more difficult prospect.
However, it is still the France game that should truly decide Switzerland’s World Cup destiny this summer. With Argentina looming for the side that comes second in Group E, there will be serious competition for first, and you would have to think twice before betting against Hitzfeld’s emerging dark horses.
