Euro 2008 Team Preview: Switzerland

Alexander Frei Switzerland Euro 2008FOOTBALL – Euro 2008 Team Preview – SWITZERLAND

25/1 with Ladbrokes to win Euro 2008.
4/1 with skybet to win Qualifying Group A (includes Portugal, Czech Republic and Turkey).

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Past Championships

Switzerland’s record at the European Championships can only be described as poor, with two qualifications from twelve attempts, both resulting in elimination at the group phase of the tournament. Despite a draw against hosts England in Euro ’96, they still finished bottom of their group. A similar record in Euro 2004 (a draw against Croatia) again resulting in the Swiss collecting the “wooden spoon” for their group and exiting early.

1960 – Did not qualify

1964 – Did not qualify

1968 – Did not qualify

1972 – Did not qualify

1976 – Did not qualify

1980 – Did not qualify

1984 – Did not qualify

1988 – Did not qualify

1992 – Did not qualify

1996 – Round 1

2000 – Did not qualify

2004 – Round 1

Qualification

As co-hosts Switzerland did not have to participate in the qualifying tournament for Euro 2008. This does, of course, mean that they haven’t played competitively since the World Cup 2006 qualifiers ended in late 2005, which might make them a little ring rusty. Jakob Kuhn has moulded a defensively solid outfit since taking charge of the national team, although with Switzerland in a particularly tough looking group that also features the Czech Republic, Portugal and Turkey, Kuhn will have his work cut out for him to guide the Swiss into the quarter-finals.

Coach

The appointment of coach Jakob ‘Koebi’ Kuhn trigged murmurs of discontent within Swiss football circles. However, the 65-year-old managed to guide Switzerland to the finals of Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Despite those achievements, Kuhn has announced that he will step down as Swiss coach at the end of the tournament, to be replaced by current Bayern Munich coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld. Kuhn is a former international himself, having won 63 caps for Switzerland, including an appearance at the 1966 World Cup Finals in England. He has already announced that he will step down from his position after Euro 2008 having held the job since 2001.

Key Players

Alexander Frei is likely to be Switzerland’s main goal threat at Euro 2008. Injury-prone Borussia Dortmund striker Frei has been the mainstay of the Swiss attack for years, and the newly-appointed captain needs just three more goals to become his nation’s all-time top scorer and will be looking to add to his tally on home soil. Tricky playmaker Hakan Yakin didn’t enjoy the best of times while playing his club football outside Switzerland, but unsuccessful stints in France, Germany and Turkey shouldn’t overshadow his undoubted technical ability and dead ball skills. English fans will remember Eren Derdiyok, the 19-year-old FC Basel striker who came off the bench to stun the Wembley faithful with an equaliser in Switzerland’s friendly defeat to England. The versatile forward could be the secret weapon in Kuhn’s arsenal.

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    Related Articles:
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Turkey
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Greece
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Portugal
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: Austria
  • Euro 2008 Team Preview: France


    • Written by Chris Olding · Filed Under Euro 2008, Football 

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