Switzerland: The Ultimate 2022 FIFA World Cup Review #32
G'day tribe. This is it. The end of my Ultimate FIFA World Cup Review guide. This was one of my biggest challenges in my blogging history. I've got a full-time job, a newborn and family commitments but I wanted to somehow keep connected with the tribe, feel the vibe and get excited in the buildup to the World Cup and this was the best way I knew how.
I have to admit I am feeling a little burnt out and it's unfortunate as it's impacted my ability to engage with everyone in the tribe which is what its really all about. I had one big goal this year and it was to post on HIVE every single day. That's 279 days of straight content so far for me!
Whilst there's only 86 days left in the year and I'm getting closer to calling it for a week or two whilst I recharge the batteries.
Anyway, for those that stuck around, we've made it. Our 32nd team we're reviewing with Switzerland. You can check out all the other 31 teams reviewed in the below links. This is the Ultimate FIFA World Cup review guide!
Group A - Qatar | Ecuador | Senegal | Netherlands
Group B - United States | England | Iran | Wales
Group C - Mexico | Poland | Argentina | Saudi Arabia
Group D - Australia | Denmark | Tunisia | France
Group E - Spain | Germany | Japan | Costa Rica
Group F - Canada | Croatia | Morocco | Belgium
Group G - Brazil | Serbia | Cameroon |
Group H - Ghana | Portugal | Uruguay | South Korea
Country: Switzerland
Nickname: A-Team Nati (National Team) Rossocrociati (Red Crosses)
Last World Cup Appearance: 2018 (Round of 16)
Previous World Cup Appearances: 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
World Rank: #16
Star Players: Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Manuel Akanji
The Swiss are a largely unheralded team and it even surprised me that they were ranked 16th in the world. That would suggest that this team is middle of the pack. In a group with Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon, the Swiss have always been around the middle of the pack and their often understated footballing existence means that they're bound to cause an upset or two.
Switzerland qualified straight through to the World Cup after topping their group which contained Italy. They did so undefeated, with their draws against Italy enough to scrape through the group which also had Bulgaria, Lithuania and Northern Ireland. It was a typical Swiss way to qualify, and then Italy got bundled out of the playoffs by North Macedonia of all teams.
In the Nations League, the Swiss have also beaten Portugal and Spain. It was there showing however at Euro 2020 which showed what the Swiss can do. France were on their way to the quarter-finals which is what everybody expected. Two late goals ensured the match went into extra time and the Swiss somehow came away with a miraculous 5-4 penalty shootout victory.
The Swiss have a habit of punching above their weight and that's what makes them an intriguing prospect to watch in the tournament.
World Cup Group: Group G - Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
Prediction: One thing that was interesting to find out is just how much immigration has benefited Switzerland. In 1994 when the Swiss qualified for the World Cup, all players were born in the country. They would then have to wait until 2006 to qualify again in which about half the team was made up of first or second generation immigrants. In 2018 the Swiss team had 8 of their 23 squad members born outside Switzerland which was the most of any team in the tournament.
Yann Sommer will be almost 34 by the time the World Cup comes along and he epitomises what Switzerland is all about. The more under pressure they are, the better they are to respond and can strike almost any team on any given day. Sommer has the ability to be literally unbeatable on his day no matter who his opposition are.
Playing infront of him will be solid defender Manuel Akanji who recently joined Manchester City. Newcastle's Fabian Schar will likely also line up at centre-back and has an attacking ability that will cause an aerial threat against any team. Fulham's Kevin Mbabu also offers Premier League experience and will likely fly down the right flank.
Midfield will be a huge strength for the Swiss which will be anchored by Chelsea's Denis Zakaria, Arsenals Granit Xhaka with further options with Frankfurt midfield gun Djibril Sow and Nottingham Forest's Remo Freuler.
Up front will be Breel Embolo headlining the attacked and Xherdan Shaqiri who is still only Xherdan Shaqiri who'll be 31 years old when the tournament comes around. They'll both likely provide service to Galatasaray striker Haris Seferovic who will line up at the front in a likely 4-2-3-1 formation.
This is a solid team without being great, and just enough talent to cause an upset. Like their world ranking of 16th suggests, they'll make the round of 16 from a tough group. That's where they'll get, and no further. They're a solid team but with a cap, and they'll likely exit the tournament at the first knockout stage in a tight battle, but they'll put up a good fight.
Round of 16
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.
What happened to that short left footed former Southampton player who also later played for Liverpool for a while, I really like that guys left foot, he was very skillful and fast, isn't he going to play for Switzerland in the world cup?
What a wonderful world cup teams and groups rundown by you, I really enjoyed reading through daily.
Cheers mate.