Switzerland Eliminated but Can Look Towards a Brighter, More Attacking Future

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 1, 2014

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Switzerland's 2014 FIFA World Cup is over.

Having smothered the life out of Lionel Messi and Co. for almost 118 minutes, Angel di Maria's late strike sealed Argentina's passage through.

If they weren't flashy or entertaining for long periods, the Swiss brought admirable energy and tactical discipline to this game.



They condensed the central areas and left Argentina resorting to crosses, often completely bypassing Messi.

Only Stephan Lichtsteiner's late lapse prevented the match from being decided by penalties.



So what can Switzerland take forward from Brazil?

If the team is broken down, individually, the Swiss carry some of the brightest young talent in Europe.

While the likes of Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami anchor the team and were imperious against Argentina, elsewhere there is youth and a surprising amount of attacking ability.



Six of Switzerland's 11 starters against Argentina were 23 or under and most of those six offer their best work in the final third.

Ricardo Rodriguez has enhanced his reputation as one of Europe's leading young left-backs. Xherdan Shaqiri was another to shine, while Granit Xhaka, Josip Drmic, Fabian Schar and Admir Mehmedi have each shown flashes of their potential in Brazil.



Haris Seferovic is yet another of the nation's young talents who emerged from the bench against Argentina.

What is now a priority is finding a style and mentality to suit these players.

This means the Swiss must undergo a transition, moving away from a defensive ethos towards a more adventurous, attacking philosophy—something that has already burned them once in this tournament, in their 5-2 defeat to France.



In that match, they were perhaps too bold, with both full-backs flying forward and midfielders straying too far from their ma...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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