How Switzerland has recently responded to crises

Switzerland lose 0:2 in Serbia and start the Nations League with three defeats. How did the national team react to the results crisis? A look back at how Switzerland recently responded to difficult phases.

Switzerland lost 2-0 in Serbia and are still without points in the Nations League after three games. Add to that a goal difference of 1:8 and it makes terrible reading. The Swiss national team is definitely in a results crisis.

After the successful European Championship in the summer, where Switzerland lost to England on penalties in the quarter-finals, there was a major upheaval. Long-standing regulars such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabian Schär and Yann Sommer retired. Since then, the Nati has been a mess.

It is not the first time that Switzerland has slipped into a minor crisis in the last 20 years. A look back at how the national team has reacted to difficult moments in the past.

Nations League 2022

Three defeats at the start of the Nations League? We’ve seen that before. Exactly. Because Switzerland also started this competition with three defeats in the summer of 2022. A 1-2 defeat to the Czech Republic, a 4-0 loss to Portugal and a 1-0 loss to Spain in the space of a week.

However, the national team showed a completely different side in the “return matches”, defeating all three opponents and finishing the group in third place – just two points behind leaders Spain. This was followed by the World Cup in Qatar, where Switzerland made it through the group stage but suffered a 6-1 defeat to Portugal in the round of 16.

Nations League 2020

2020 was also a special year for football due to the coronavirus pandemic. In September, it was possible to play in front of empty stands again, Switzerland got off to the worst possible start, drawing three of their five Nations League games and losing twice. Two test matches against Croatia and Belgium also resulted in defeats, threatening a year without a win for the national team.

Victory came in the final Nations League clash against Ukraine – not on the pitch, however, but at the green table. The match had to be called off due to several positive coronavirus tests for the Ukrainians. UEFA scored the match 3:0 in Switzerland’s favor. These three points allowed Switzerland to close the gap on Ukraine in the table, finishing third thanks to their superior goal difference in the direct match and thus avoiding relegation.

2010 World Cup and failed European Championship qualification

The 2010 World Cup begins with a true Swiss summer fairytale. Gelson Fernandes scored Switzerland to a sensational victory over reigning European champions Spain in their first World Cup match. However, the paths that followed could not have been more different. While Spain marched to the World Cup title, Switzerland was eliminated in the group stage after a 1-0 draw against Chile and a 0-0 draw against Honduras.

Switzerland then started the European Championship qualifiers in the fall with two defeats against England and Montenegro. The 0:1 in Montenegro was particularly painful, with Switzerland even being mocked by Montenegro goalscorer Mirko Vucinic as he celebrated the goal with his trousers on his head.

Switzerland can no longer turn the tide, finishing third in their group with eleven points from eight games and missing out on Euro 2012. It is the only major tournament since 2002 to take place without the Swiss.

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