Stifling in defense and patiently waiting to counter, the Swiss showed Australia how to get a win against a world class team.
A crazy turn of events and a bit of luck during the Spanish game against Switzerland saw the underdog snatch a win and make a solid play towards the next round of the competition.
Fully aware of their limitations, the team from Switzerland was solid around the ground in Durban. Granted most of their work was done in their own half and they were lucky to survive chances on their own goal, but the Swiss did look good when many thought they would be embarrassed by the European champions. The desire to win was crucial as the pressure kept coming from star players such as David Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso.
The Spanish strikers struggled to get any room to settle for their shots or passes. Forward movements were pressured in numbers as the Swiss midfielders played deep and all defenders were on deck to ‘suffocate’ the attack.
The Swiss players and coach must be praised for their structured and hard working performance for 95 minutes. With a bombardment of opportunities some will say Spain should have won the game, but in the game of football it is who can get the ball in the back of the net by the final whistle. Switzerland not only did this but kept a clean sheet against one of the most potent attacks in world football.
Great understanding across the back ensured every header was contested, shots on goal were pressured, men were marked tightly and crosses coming in were not easily designed for their intended receiver.
The small details such as having a body on a player, closing down the options and staying goal side were all contributing factors towards the 1-0 win. The Swiss team was hard in tackles, but stayed on their feet to avoid red cards such as the one against Tim Cahill – this also allowed them to remain in the contest and support each other.
Australian fans will be hoping that Pim Verbeek and the Socceroos were watching this game. The need to have refocused with the same intent that the team from Switzerland carried into their history making defeat of Spain will be crucial to rebuilding the Australian campaign.
Jimme Jamestown
Roar Rookie
Yeah I agree there was a difference in coaching, it was a great tactic to stay deep, flood the defense and take away space for them to work with, I wrote another article giving my thoughts on the Aussie game. http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/06/16/no-excuses-that-was-technically-terrible-football/ Honestly I think Australia should have been better even with the coach, and I thought the way the Swiss played was what we should have done against the Germans. High pressure, close marking, hard tackling and supporting each other at every contest. I think our strengths are similar to the Swiss - thus the model could have been good for us too.
Dan
Guest
the difference is the coach... Ottmar Hitzfeld is one of the greatest tactical managers in the world, he knows how to take the talent at his disposal and implement a system that plays to thier strengths... when you have limited talent at your disposal you cant dictate tactics and try and make it work, you play to your strengths (are you reading this pim?)
Billo
Guest
I actually enjoyed Switzerland's defeat of Spain more than any other World Cup game I've seen. Maybe supporting the underdog had something to do with it. It was the first shock of a tournament that has so far been very evenly fought, but largely without any obvious surprise results until the Swiss arrived on the scene. As the game went on the Spaniards seemed to go to pieces, so that they fumbled badly the chances they had to equalise near the end of the game. Having said that, I certainly don't think Australia is out of contention. The Germans have clearly been the best team in the tournament so far, and, after all, somebody had to play them first! If Germany beat all three of their pool opponents, I think we have a great chance of joining them in the last 16.