Con quella faccia da Ralph Cunningham di Happy Days e un curriculum vitae non spendibile nemmeno in Lega Pro, Heiko Vogel è l’allenatore più improbabile che si possa trovare sulla panchina di una squadra agli ottavi di Champions. In campo però le apparenze contano zero. Se ne è accorto sir Alex Ferguson, che lo scorso dicembre ha visto il suo Manchester United estromesso dall’Europa che conta per mano del Basilea.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
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mercoledì 22 febbraio 2012
lunedì 13 febbraio 2012
Nè re e neppure leone
“Il leone non ruggisce e Napoli non capisce”. Così l’apertura della pagina sportiva del quotidiano ticinese Il Giornale del Popolo dedicata al momento-no di Gokhan Inler. Una questione di valutazione, scrive il collega Paolo Galli. La stessa che si era posta anche il Guerin Sportivo lo scorso ottobre nello speciale Champions: se Inler vale 20 milioni di euro, un giocatore come Xherdan Shaqiri – attualmente il miglior giocatore svizzero – quanto dovrebbe costare? La risposta è arrivata in questi giorni dal Bayern Monaco: tra i 10 e i 12 milioni. Questa la cifra che i bavaresi verseranno nelle casse del Basilea per assicurarsi, dalla prossima stagione, le prestazioni del talentuoso esterno di origini kosovare. Fin troppo facile notare quanto sia stata spropositata la valutazione effettuata la scorsa estate dal Napoli in sede di mercato per Inler.
Se Napoli non capisce, la Svizzera per contro non si stupisce. Perché in maglia rossocrociata da tempo il centrocampista sta offrendo prestazioni di livello modesto. Compassato nel ritmo, scolastico nella giocata, troppo impreciso in fase di appoggio; nella deludente campagna per Euro 2012 della Svizzera (finita terza alle spalle di Inghilterra e Montenegro), Inler è risultato uno dei peggiori sotto il profilo del rendimento. Mentre Shaqiri riapriva le chance di qualificazione dei rossocrociati annientando con una tripletta la Bulgaria, Inler si scrollava di dosso l’etichetta di “underperformer” solamente nell’ultima inutile partita contro il Monetnegro, a eliminazione già ufficializzata. E infatti Il Giornale del Popolo giudicava così la sua partita: “Accidenti, quando non conta nulla lui ritorna. Una partita addirittura più che sufficiente lì nel cuore della manovra. Gli sbagli restano frequenti (eccome), ma… non causano guai”. Agli standard “napoletani” di Inler insomma gli svizzeri sono abituati da tempo.
Il problema sembrerebbe essere una questione di modulo. Il giocatore soffre molto il ruolo interditore in una mediana a due, sia che si tratti del 4-2-3-1 adottato dalla Nati, sia del 3-5-2 del Napoli di Mazzarri. Nell’Udinese invece giocava in un centrocampo a tre protetto da due incontrasti, cosa che lui non è. Rimane comunque un mistero questa involuzione sotto il profilo della duttilità, perché Inler si è calcisticamente imposto, in Svizzera, in una mediana a quattro. Nell’Aarau 2004/05 giocava centrale nel 4-4-2, così come nella Svizzera under 20 che nell’ottobre 2005 batteva 2-1 in amichevole l’Italia dei vari Criscito, De Ceglie e Paolucci ad Ascona. Nello Zurigo Inler offriva ancora più opzioni; centrale davanti alla difesa con Dzemaili, interno destro in un centrocampo 3+1 (Margairaz partiva leggermente più avanti), esterno destro in una linea a 4. Prestazioni di qualità e sostanza che gli valse un precoce approdo in nazionale (con l’allora ct Kuhn che lo metteva in ballottaggio con un incontrista puro, Huggel), nella quale oggi vanta oltre 50 presenze.
Lasciamo la chiusura a Galli. “Nonostante le sue contro-prestazioni in nazionale, il Napoli ha visto in Inler un “top player”, fidandosi della buona stampa di cui godeva e soprattutto delle valutazioni di mister Mazzarri. Valutazioni che si sono dimostrate clamorosamente errate dal punto di vista tattico […]. Adesso sta solo a lui (Inler, nda) fare quello sforzo in più, che gli possa permettere di ridurre l’impietosa distanza che passa dal discreto giocatore al “top player”. Perché in mezzo, nonostante quella esagerata milionaria valutazione, effettivamente qualcosa c’è”.
Fonte: Guerin Sportivo
Se Napoli non capisce, la Svizzera per contro non si stupisce. Perché in maglia rossocrociata da tempo il centrocampista sta offrendo prestazioni di livello modesto. Compassato nel ritmo, scolastico nella giocata, troppo impreciso in fase di appoggio; nella deludente campagna per Euro 2012 della Svizzera (finita terza alle spalle di Inghilterra e Montenegro), Inler è risultato uno dei peggiori sotto il profilo del rendimento. Mentre Shaqiri riapriva le chance di qualificazione dei rossocrociati annientando con una tripletta la Bulgaria, Inler si scrollava di dosso l’etichetta di “underperformer” solamente nell’ultima inutile partita contro il Monetnegro, a eliminazione già ufficializzata. E infatti Il Giornale del Popolo giudicava così la sua partita: “Accidenti, quando non conta nulla lui ritorna. Una partita addirittura più che sufficiente lì nel cuore della manovra. Gli sbagli restano frequenti (eccome), ma… non causano guai”. Agli standard “napoletani” di Inler insomma gli svizzeri sono abituati da tempo.
Il problema sembrerebbe essere una questione di modulo. Il giocatore soffre molto il ruolo interditore in una mediana a due, sia che si tratti del 4-2-3-1 adottato dalla Nati, sia del 3-5-2 del Napoli di Mazzarri. Nell’Udinese invece giocava in un centrocampo a tre protetto da due incontrasti, cosa che lui non è. Rimane comunque un mistero questa involuzione sotto il profilo della duttilità, perché Inler si è calcisticamente imposto, in Svizzera, in una mediana a quattro. Nell’Aarau 2004/05 giocava centrale nel 4-4-2, così come nella Svizzera under 20 che nell’ottobre 2005 batteva 2-1 in amichevole l’Italia dei vari Criscito, De Ceglie e Paolucci ad Ascona. Nello Zurigo Inler offriva ancora più opzioni; centrale davanti alla difesa con Dzemaili, interno destro in un centrocampo 3+1 (Margairaz partiva leggermente più avanti), esterno destro in una linea a 4. Prestazioni di qualità e sostanza che gli valse un precoce approdo in nazionale (con l’allora ct Kuhn che lo metteva in ballottaggio con un incontrista puro, Huggel), nella quale oggi vanta oltre 50 presenze.
Lasciamo la chiusura a Galli. “Nonostante le sue contro-prestazioni in nazionale, il Napoli ha visto in Inler un “top player”, fidandosi della buona stampa di cui godeva e soprattutto delle valutazioni di mister Mazzarri. Valutazioni che si sono dimostrate clamorosamente errate dal punto di vista tattico […]. Adesso sta solo a lui (Inler, nda) fare quello sforzo in più, che gli possa permettere di ridurre l’impietosa distanza che passa dal discreto giocatore al “top player”. Perché in mezzo, nonostante quella esagerata milionaria valutazione, effettivamente qualcosa c’è”.
Fonte: Guerin Sportivo
sabato 31 dicembre 2011
Manchester United conquerors Basel highlight Switzerland's 2011
At first glance, 2011 looked every inch a negative year for Swiss football, as the national team failed to qualify for Euro 2012. Switzerland’s unsuccessful attempt to reach Poland and the Ukraine was mainly down to inconsistency; while Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men were able to halt England’s progress at Wembley with an impressive 2-2 draw, and then thrash Bulgaria 3-1 on home soil – thanks in large part to an outstanding hat-trick from rising star Xherdan Shaqiri – it was a different story when Wales beat the Swiss just days before the Nati were due to play a crucial qualifier against Montenegro.
The jury is still out on Hitzfeld’s reign, but intriguingly not on his charges, with a bright future predicted for the Alpine country’s national team. 2011 saw good news arrive from Switzerland’s Under-21 side, which shone at the European Championships in Denmark, reaching the final; eventually losing to Spain. Four wins from four games without conceding before facing La Roja was an impressive performance which also handed the Swiss a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics – it will be their first time at the games since 1928.
Some stars of that team (Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Frei, Yann Sommer and Admir Mehmedi) are currently staking a claim for a spot in the senior side’s starting eleven. Xhaka, was the first of the Swiss squad that lifted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2009 to graduate to Hitzfeld’s group, although he has since been joined by Nassim Ben Khalifa and Ricardo Rodriguez.
2011 also saw Swiss club football reach its highest point on 7th December, when champions Basel beat Manchester United 2-1 to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. The St. Jakob Park side’s achievement is deeply rooted in the country’s football, with the team composed mostly of local players including the homemade Shaqiri, Sommer, Xhaka and Fabian Frei, with returning veterans Alexander Frei, Marco Streller and Benjamin Huggel.
At 32 years old, Alexander Frei is already certain of a spot amongst Switzerland’s top five players of all-time. Numbers do not lie: 42 goals out of 84 games with the national team, making him the country’s most prolific goal-getter; Ligue 1 top scorer in 2005; Swiss Super League top scorer in 2011 and leading the way in the current campaign; 26 goals in European competition, with five so far in this year’s Champions League.
If then it was not surprising to see Alexander Frei’s name on the scoresheet against Manchester United, it was very unusual for the almost unknown Heiko Vogel to become Basel’s miracle man. Not a household name even in his own home, Vogel started the 2011/12 season as Thorsten Fink’s assistant at St. Jakob Park. On 13th October, Fink, who had led Basel to the last two Swiss Super League titles, left for Hamburg and Vogel was appointed as caretaker boss. Despite an unimpressive coaching career – Vogel had worked with the youth teams at Bayern Munich and then served as Fink’s assistant at FC Inglostadt – the man charged with keeping the seat warm won eight of his first eleven games, with just one defeat against Benfica in the Champions League.
Basel ended the year topping the Super League, qualifying for the quarter-final of the Swiss Cup and knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League. It was little surprise then when Vogel was offered and accepted the job of head coach and manager on 12th December. Curiously however, Basel scored their European success just months after chairwoman Gisela Oeri, the wife of one of the heirs of the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, announced she was leaving the club at the end of the season. Basel’s supporters hope that the Champions League feat could make the side’s main financial backer change her mind.
Before Basel, another Swiss side, FC Sion, enjoyed an impact on European football. After winning their 12th Swiss Cup, out of 12 finals played, the club owned by architect Christian Constantin, defeated Scottish giants Celtic in the Europa League playoff round. An outstanding performance was then annulled by UEFA, who excluded Sion from European competition for fielding ineligible players in the game. It was the start of a legal battle that is still running and has recently seen the Swiss FA, ordered by UEFA to punish Sion or risk
exclusion from international competition, hand Constantin’s side a 36-point deduction. Sion will fight on and have filed a criminal complaint against members of FIFA’s executive committee.
Despite this saga however, on the pitch Sion have shown they are the rising force of Swiss football and the club were sitting second until the 36-point penalty was handed out. The legal battles look set to run and run and fans will hope they do not overshadow a promising team.
Last but not least, 2011 also saw Hakan Yakin’s final act in the Super League. After two and a half years at Luzern, one of the finest ever creative midfielders in the history of Swiss football left for second division outfit Bellinzona. Yakin’s final statistics were 254 games and 141 goals in the country’s top flight. The standing ovation the midfielder received when he left the pitch at St. Jakob Park, from fans of his former club Basel, was a telling indicator of his standing. Yakin makes way for the new generation with only Alexander Frei sitting a step above him.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
The jury is still out on Hitzfeld’s reign, but intriguingly not on his charges, with a bright future predicted for the Alpine country’s national team. 2011 saw good news arrive from Switzerland’s Under-21 side, which shone at the European Championships in Denmark, reaching the final; eventually losing to Spain. Four wins from four games without conceding before facing La Roja was an impressive performance which also handed the Swiss a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics – it will be their first time at the games since 1928.
Some stars of that team (Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Frei, Yann Sommer and Admir Mehmedi) are currently staking a claim for a spot in the senior side’s starting eleven. Xhaka, was the first of the Swiss squad that lifted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2009 to graduate to Hitzfeld’s group, although he has since been joined by Nassim Ben Khalifa and Ricardo Rodriguez.
2011 also saw Swiss club football reach its highest point on 7th December, when champions Basel beat Manchester United 2-1 to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. The St. Jakob Park side’s achievement is deeply rooted in the country’s football, with the team composed mostly of local players including the homemade Shaqiri, Sommer, Xhaka and Fabian Frei, with returning veterans Alexander Frei, Marco Streller and Benjamin Huggel.
At 32 years old, Alexander Frei is already certain of a spot amongst Switzerland’s top five players of all-time. Numbers do not lie: 42 goals out of 84 games with the national team, making him the country’s most prolific goal-getter; Ligue 1 top scorer in 2005; Swiss Super League top scorer in 2011 and leading the way in the current campaign; 26 goals in European competition, with five so far in this year’s Champions League.
If then it was not surprising to see Alexander Frei’s name on the scoresheet against Manchester United, it was very unusual for the almost unknown Heiko Vogel to become Basel’s miracle man. Not a household name even in his own home, Vogel started the 2011/12 season as Thorsten Fink’s assistant at St. Jakob Park. On 13th October, Fink, who had led Basel to the last two Swiss Super League titles, left for Hamburg and Vogel was appointed as caretaker boss. Despite an unimpressive coaching career – Vogel had worked with the youth teams at Bayern Munich and then served as Fink’s assistant at FC Inglostadt – the man charged with keeping the seat warm won eight of his first eleven games, with just one defeat against Benfica in the Champions League.
Basel ended the year topping the Super League, qualifying for the quarter-final of the Swiss Cup and knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League. It was little surprise then when Vogel was offered and accepted the job of head coach and manager on 12th December. Curiously however, Basel scored their European success just months after chairwoman Gisela Oeri, the wife of one of the heirs of the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, announced she was leaving the club at the end of the season. Basel’s supporters hope that the Champions League feat could make the side’s main financial backer change her mind.
Before Basel, another Swiss side, FC Sion, enjoyed an impact on European football. After winning their 12th Swiss Cup, out of 12 finals played, the club owned by architect Christian Constantin, defeated Scottish giants Celtic in the Europa League playoff round. An outstanding performance was then annulled by UEFA, who excluded Sion from European competition for fielding ineligible players in the game. It was the start of a legal battle that is still running and has recently seen the Swiss FA, ordered by UEFA to punish Sion or risk
exclusion from international competition, hand Constantin’s side a 36-point deduction. Sion will fight on and have filed a criminal complaint against members of FIFA’s executive committee.
Despite this saga however, on the pitch Sion have shown they are the rising force of Swiss football and the club were sitting second until the 36-point penalty was handed out. The legal battles look set to run and run and fans will hope they do not overshadow a promising team.
Last but not least, 2011 also saw Hakan Yakin’s final act in the Super League. After two and a half years at Luzern, one of the finest ever creative midfielders in the history of Swiss football left for second division outfit Bellinzona. Yakin’s final statistics were 254 games and 141 goals in the country’s top flight. The standing ovation the midfielder received when he left the pitch at St. Jakob Park, from fans of his former club Basel, was a telling indicator of his standing. Yakin makes way for the new generation with only Alexander Frei sitting a step above him.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
mercoledì 12 ottobre 2011
L'incubo svizzero di Platini
È un architetto di Martigny l’uomo che sta facendo tremare Uefa e Fifa. Lo svizzero Christian Constantin, 54 anni, patrimonio stimato in 2.5 miliardi di euro, è prossimo a cambiare la storia del calcio con il suo Sion. Non in campo, ma attraverso i tribunali. La scorsa settimana si è infatti pronunciato quello cantonale vodese, intimando alla Uefa il reintegro in Europa League del club svizzero, escluso a settembre per aver irregolarmente schierato sei giocatori nel preliminare (vinto) contro il Celtic Glasgow. Gli scozzesi avevano fatto ricorso alla commissione d’appello della Uefa, ottenendo la vittoria a tavolino, con conseguente passaggio alla fase a gironi, dove sono stati inseriti nel gruppo con Udinese, Atletico Madrid e Rennes.
La vicenda inizia nel febbraio 2008, quando il Sion ingaggia un portiere egiziano che però risulta essere ancora sotto contratto col vecchio club. La Fifa condanna gli svizzeri a due periodi di divieto di trasferimenti per il tesseramento irregolare. Ma Constantin replica che il Sion ha già scontato la propria pena e passa al contrattacco.
Il boss del Sion si è rivolto alla magistratura ordinaria, violando la clausola compromissoria tanto cara alla Uefa, ma ottenendo vittorie in serie. Attraverso il tribunale civile di Martigny ha piegato la Federcalcio svizzera, obbligandola a cancellare la squalifica nel campionato elvetico dei sei giocatori incriminati. Poi ha ottenuto dal tribunale civile del canton Vaud l’invalidazione dei risultati e della classifica del gruppo I di Europa League. Infine è arrivata la sentenza di riammissione del Sion in Europa. Senza considerare la lettera inviata al ministro delle Finanze svizzero affinch´ venissero aboliti i privilegi fiscali goduti da Uefa e Fifa.
Inchiodata dalla sentenza di un tribunale civile, ieri la Uefa ha chiesto agli svizzeri di fare un passo indietro rivolgendosi al TAS, il Tribunale Arbitrale dello Sport. Una mossa disperata, perché non più di una decina di giorni fa il Sion aveva ritirato l’appello al massimo tribunale sportivo, puntando tutto sulle sentenze dei tribunali ordinari. Proprio di fronte a quello vodese dovrà comparire Platini il 19 ottobre per spiegare l’estromissione del club dall’Europa League. Constantin nel frattempo gongola: «Giocheremo a Rennes il 20 ottobre», ha commentato. «Non voglio un risarcimento, preferisco l’odore degli spogliatoi del Vicente Calderon (casa dell’Atletico Madrid, ndr) a quello degli euro».
Constantin è un osso duro. In Svizzera se ne sono accorti già nel 2003 quando fece subito ricorso contro l’esclusione del Sion dalla Challenge League (la B elvetica) per inadempienze finanziarie. Ottenne il reintegro quattro mesi dopo l’inizio del campionato, con stravolgimento dei calendari. Ma l’architetto di Martigny è un vulcano anche fuori dai tribunali, come testimoniano i 23 allenatori licenziati in nove anni. In un paio di occasioni sulla panchina del club si è seduto direttamente lui, in barba alla mancanza di qualsivoglia patentino di allenatore.
Fonte: Il Giornale
La vicenda inizia nel febbraio 2008, quando il Sion ingaggia un portiere egiziano che però risulta essere ancora sotto contratto col vecchio club. La Fifa condanna gli svizzeri a due periodi di divieto di trasferimenti per il tesseramento irregolare. Ma Constantin replica che il Sion ha già scontato la propria pena e passa al contrattacco.
Il boss del Sion si è rivolto alla magistratura ordinaria, violando la clausola compromissoria tanto cara alla Uefa, ma ottenendo vittorie in serie. Attraverso il tribunale civile di Martigny ha piegato la Federcalcio svizzera, obbligandola a cancellare la squalifica nel campionato elvetico dei sei giocatori incriminati. Poi ha ottenuto dal tribunale civile del canton Vaud l’invalidazione dei risultati e della classifica del gruppo I di Europa League. Infine è arrivata la sentenza di riammissione del Sion in Europa. Senza considerare la lettera inviata al ministro delle Finanze svizzero affinch´ venissero aboliti i privilegi fiscali goduti da Uefa e Fifa.
Inchiodata dalla sentenza di un tribunale civile, ieri la Uefa ha chiesto agli svizzeri di fare un passo indietro rivolgendosi al TAS, il Tribunale Arbitrale dello Sport. Una mossa disperata, perché non più di una decina di giorni fa il Sion aveva ritirato l’appello al massimo tribunale sportivo, puntando tutto sulle sentenze dei tribunali ordinari. Proprio di fronte a quello vodese dovrà comparire Platini il 19 ottobre per spiegare l’estromissione del club dall’Europa League. Constantin nel frattempo gongola: «Giocheremo a Rennes il 20 ottobre», ha commentato. «Non voglio un risarcimento, preferisco l’odore degli spogliatoi del Vicente Calderon (casa dell’Atletico Madrid, ndr) a quello degli euro».
Constantin è un osso duro. In Svizzera se ne sono accorti già nel 2003 quando fece subito ricorso contro l’esclusione del Sion dalla Challenge League (la B elvetica) per inadempienze finanziarie. Ottenne il reintegro quattro mesi dopo l’inizio del campionato, con stravolgimento dei calendari. Ma l’architetto di Martigny è un vulcano anche fuori dai tribunali, come testimoniano i 23 allenatori licenziati in nove anni. In un paio di occasioni sulla panchina del club si è seduto direttamente lui, in barba alla mancanza di qualsivoglia patentino di allenatore.
Fonte: Il Giornale
sabato 25 giugno 2011
Euro under 21: Con la Spagna sorpresa svizzera in salsa italiana
Epilogo con sorpresa agli Europei under21 in Danimarca, dove toccherà alla Svizzera contendere il trofeo alla favoritissima Spagna (oggi ore 20.45 ad Aarhus, arbitro Tagliavento). La matricola elvetica, alla prima finale della sua storia, contro i re mida del calcio odierno, già due volte campioni under21 in passato. Eppure l’esito del confronto si prospetta meno scontato del previsto; se infatti la Spagna ha rispettato il copione deliziando con quel tiki taka diventato ormai il marchio di fabbrica del movimento calcistico iberico, è stata la Svizzera a compiere il percorso netto. Quattro partite, quattro vittorie e zero gol subiti. Mai prima d’ora una squadra era approdata in finale con la porta inviolata.
Un’impresa, quella elvetica, che batte anche bandiera italiana. È l’Italia di provincia quella che ha fornito diversi elementi alla selezione del ticinese Pierluigi Tami: Sassuolo, Brescia, Padova, Palermo. Gente che questa sera si troverà di fronte giocatori di Barcellona, Valencia, Atletico Madrid e Athletic Bilbao. Giocatori come Mata e Javi Martinez, che nell’estate 2010 tornavano dal Sudafrica con la coppa del mondo. Eppure in Danimarca il miglior difensore dell’Europeo risponde al nome di Jonathan Rossini, cartellino in comproprietà tra Sampdoria e Udinese, reduce da una stagione in B nel Sassuolo. Ha impressionato tutti per personalità, senso tattico e pulizia negli interventi, ricordando a tratti il giovane Nesta. Nei 390 minuti di imbattibilità del portiere Yann Sommer c’è tanto di suo.
Un altro protagonista con i rossocrociati, che grazie alla finale raggiunta tornano alle Olimpiadi per la prima volta dal 1928, è Gaetano Berardi, esterno sinistro nel Brescia, terzino in nazionale. La fama era quella di cursore dai piedi ruvidi, il campo ha proposto un laterale veloce, difensivamente accorto e utile nel supporto alla fase offensiva. Non bello ma efficace; una squadra ha bisogno anche di giocatori così. In mediana invece ha dovuto lottare per trovare spazio il mediano del Padova Xavier Hochstrasser, la cui fisicità è stata però fondamentale in semifinale contro i gladiatori della Repubblica Ceca. Chiudono il cerchio le riserve Fabio Daprelà (Brescia) e Pajtim Kasami (Palermo). Magari toccherà proprio a loro regalare il lieto fine a questa favola svizzera spruzzata di tricolore.
Fonte: Il Giornale
Un’impresa, quella elvetica, che batte anche bandiera italiana. È l’Italia di provincia quella che ha fornito diversi elementi alla selezione del ticinese Pierluigi Tami: Sassuolo, Brescia, Padova, Palermo. Gente che questa sera si troverà di fronte giocatori di Barcellona, Valencia, Atletico Madrid e Athletic Bilbao. Giocatori come Mata e Javi Martinez, che nell’estate 2010 tornavano dal Sudafrica con la coppa del mondo. Eppure in Danimarca il miglior difensore dell’Europeo risponde al nome di Jonathan Rossini, cartellino in comproprietà tra Sampdoria e Udinese, reduce da una stagione in B nel Sassuolo. Ha impressionato tutti per personalità, senso tattico e pulizia negli interventi, ricordando a tratti il giovane Nesta. Nei 390 minuti di imbattibilità del portiere Yann Sommer c’è tanto di suo.
Un altro protagonista con i rossocrociati, che grazie alla finale raggiunta tornano alle Olimpiadi per la prima volta dal 1928, è Gaetano Berardi, esterno sinistro nel Brescia, terzino in nazionale. La fama era quella di cursore dai piedi ruvidi, il campo ha proposto un laterale veloce, difensivamente accorto e utile nel supporto alla fase offensiva. Non bello ma efficace; una squadra ha bisogno anche di giocatori così. In mediana invece ha dovuto lottare per trovare spazio il mediano del Padova Xavier Hochstrasser, la cui fisicità è stata però fondamentale in semifinale contro i gladiatori della Repubblica Ceca. Chiudono il cerchio le riserve Fabio Daprelà (Brescia) e Pajtim Kasami (Palermo). Magari toccherà proprio a loro regalare il lieto fine a questa favola svizzera spruzzata di tricolore.
Fonte: Il Giornale
venerdì 22 aprile 2011
Swiss spell to cap Roberto Sosa’s career
From the 1970s until the 1990s Switzerland was the destination of choice for old players. Many stars liked to spend the final years of their glittering careers in the Alpine country. Amongst others, Jose Altafini (joint-third highest scorer in Serie A history – Chiasso), Giancarlo Antognoni (1982 World Cup winner with Italy – Lausanne), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich and Inter star – Servette), Marco Tardelli (1982 World Cup winner with Italy – St. Gallen), Mauro Galvao (Brazil international – Lugano) and Lajos Detari (Hungarian great – Neuchatel Xamax) enjoyed their twilight in Swiss football. Good wages and a distinct lack of pressure were amongst the main reasons why these international stars headed for Switzerland once their best days were behind them.
As the new millennium dawned however, Swiss clubs changed their philosophy, choosing to work hard on developing their youth systems, trying to fill their teams with new talents instead of ageing stars. Third Division outfit FC Rapperswil-Jona though may well represent an exception to the rule at first sight, as the Swiss side recently snapped up 36-year-old former Napoli striker Roberto Sosa, widely known as “El Pampa”.
Sosa found the back of the net more than 100 times in a notable career which took in the likes of Gimnasia de La Plata, Udinese and Napoli. The striker looks to be perfectly placed to help Rapperswil-Jona’s ambitious chairman Rocco Delli Colli, a businessman with Italian roots whose aim is to help the side reach Switzerland’s second tier – the Challenge League – as quickly as possible. Behind Sosa’s transfer to the canton of Saint Gallen however, lies the hand of organised crime, that forced the Argentine to leave Liguria – the region in Italy where he had played with fourth division side Sanremese.
“A man pointed a gun at my knee and told me the next time he would pull the trigger if I didn’t leave the team”, said Sosa. “I lived in Italy for twelve years. The first eleven and a half were a dream, but the last six months were a nightmare.”
Sosa claims he was forced to leave by organised criminals although he explains his family still reside in Liguria: “My family still lives in Liguria, because my children need to finish the school year."
The striker had an impressive start to life in Italy. In the summer of 1998, Udinese brought Sosa over from Gimnasia de La Plata, where he had impressed, scoring 28 goals in 38 games. Along with Marcio Amoroso and Paolo Poggi, Sosa’s partners up front, the Argentine was crucial in helping Udinese to grab a spot in the UEFA Cup for the third year in a row in his very first season. His best however was the 2000/01 campaign, where he found the back of the net 15 times – Sosa’s finest season in European football.
Sosa returned to Argentina in 2002, landing at Boca Juniors before moving on to Estudiantes – both spells were disappointing and the striker was once again on the move back across the Atlantic, joining Ascoli and later Messina, two Serie B sides. The Argentine’s most memorable experience in his second spell in Italian football however came in Naples. In 2004, Sosa became Napoli’s first ever signing after being declared bankrupt and forced to play in Serie C1 (Italy’s third level) by the Italian FA. Under the club’s new chairman, film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis, it took Napoli only three seasons to return to Serie A. Between 2004 and 2008 Sosa played a vital role in the club’s double promotion, scoring 28 goals overall.
After mounting another comeback in his homeland, on 21st August, 2010, “El Pampa” inked a contract with Sanremese. “After 18 years of professional football I am not looking for money any more”, admitted the Argentine. “I still play because I like it, and I feel fit. I enjoy the game, even in the lower divisions. Rapperswil is a very nice place and I hope to pay the people and the club back for the faith they have in me.”
Curiously, two of Sosa’s former clubs, Napoli and Udinese, are the great revelations of the current Serie A season, and the striker cannot choose which out of the duo he would root for.
“It’s hard to tell which of the two teams I would like to see crowned as the Italian champions”, said Sosa. “My first two sons were born in Udine, the third in Naples. However, Napoli’s supporters have a passion that’s difficult to find elsewhere. They really are the twelfth man on the pitch. When I hang up my boots I think I will go back there.”
For fans of Swiss outfit Rapperswil-Jona, the hope is that that day will still be a while in coming.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
As the new millennium dawned however, Swiss clubs changed their philosophy, choosing to work hard on developing their youth systems, trying to fill their teams with new talents instead of ageing stars. Third Division outfit FC Rapperswil-Jona though may well represent an exception to the rule at first sight, as the Swiss side recently snapped up 36-year-old former Napoli striker Roberto Sosa, widely known as “El Pampa”.
Sosa found the back of the net more than 100 times in a notable career which took in the likes of Gimnasia de La Plata, Udinese and Napoli. The striker looks to be perfectly placed to help Rapperswil-Jona’s ambitious chairman Rocco Delli Colli, a businessman with Italian roots whose aim is to help the side reach Switzerland’s second tier – the Challenge League – as quickly as possible. Behind Sosa’s transfer to the canton of Saint Gallen however, lies the hand of organised crime, that forced the Argentine to leave Liguria – the region in Italy where he had played with fourth division side Sanremese.
“A man pointed a gun at my knee and told me the next time he would pull the trigger if I didn’t leave the team”, said Sosa. “I lived in Italy for twelve years. The first eleven and a half were a dream, but the last six months were a nightmare.”
Sosa claims he was forced to leave by organised criminals although he explains his family still reside in Liguria: “My family still lives in Liguria, because my children need to finish the school year."
The striker had an impressive start to life in Italy. In the summer of 1998, Udinese brought Sosa over from Gimnasia de La Plata, where he had impressed, scoring 28 goals in 38 games. Along with Marcio Amoroso and Paolo Poggi, Sosa’s partners up front, the Argentine was crucial in helping Udinese to grab a spot in the UEFA Cup for the third year in a row in his very first season. His best however was the 2000/01 campaign, where he found the back of the net 15 times – Sosa’s finest season in European football.
Sosa returned to Argentina in 2002, landing at Boca Juniors before moving on to Estudiantes – both spells were disappointing and the striker was once again on the move back across the Atlantic, joining Ascoli and later Messina, two Serie B sides. The Argentine’s most memorable experience in his second spell in Italian football however came in Naples. In 2004, Sosa became Napoli’s first ever signing after being declared bankrupt and forced to play in Serie C1 (Italy’s third level) by the Italian FA. Under the club’s new chairman, film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis, it took Napoli only three seasons to return to Serie A. Between 2004 and 2008 Sosa played a vital role in the club’s double promotion, scoring 28 goals overall.
After mounting another comeback in his homeland, on 21st August, 2010, “El Pampa” inked a contract with Sanremese. “After 18 years of professional football I am not looking for money any more”, admitted the Argentine. “I still play because I like it, and I feel fit. I enjoy the game, even in the lower divisions. Rapperswil is a very nice place and I hope to pay the people and the club back for the faith they have in me.”
Curiously, two of Sosa’s former clubs, Napoli and Udinese, are the great revelations of the current Serie A season, and the striker cannot choose which out of the duo he would root for.
“It’s hard to tell which of the two teams I would like to see crowned as the Italian champions”, said Sosa. “My first two sons were born in Udine, the third in Naples. However, Napoli’s supporters have a passion that’s difficult to find elsewhere. They really are the twelfth man on the pitch. When I hang up my boots I think I will go back there.”
For fans of Swiss outfit Rapperswil-Jona, the hope is that that day will still be a while in coming.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
lunedì 14 marzo 2011
La carica dei 101
I mondiali non son belli se non gioca Lustrinelli. Capitava di sentire anche questo in Canton Ticino nel 2006 quando in Germania Mauro Lustrinelli era in ballottaggio per una maglia da titolare nella nazionale elvetica. Poi è uscito dal giro, accontentandosi della Super League quale ambiente per continuare a fare ciò che gli è sempre riuscito bene: segnare.
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
(Articolo completo su Il mondo siamo noi).
sabato 23 ottobre 2010
Frei's overdue Champions League arrival boosts Basel
Alexander Frei is hugely experienced and well-known throughout European football. It is then slightly surprising to discover that Switzerland’s all-time top scorer only made his Champions League bow this season. However, the 31-year-old, plying his trade at Basel, firmly intends to make up for lost time, with his goals boosting the Super League side’s chances of reaching the last 16.
After a brace against Sheriff Tiraspol in the playoff round, Frei has so far hit the target against both Bayern Munich and Roma in the group phase. And while against the Germans his goal wasn’t enough to help Basel to their first points of the Champions League, a powerful shot to open the scoring away to Roma was. Frei’s goal in the Italian capital proved vital in giving Basel the belief and motivation to secure a famous victory.
Basel’s win over Roma was the first time a Swiss club had beaten the Serie A giants at home after five consecutive defeats and allowed Frei’s side to jump from bottom of their four-team group to second, due to a superior goal difference over Cluj and Roma. Frei’s coach, German Thorsten Fink, didn’t have to think too hard before pointing to the striker as a key component in Basel’s chances of success against bigger clubs.
“Although we are underdogs on the European stage, we can always count on experienced players like Frei, [Benjamin] Huggel and [Marco] Streller”, said Fink. “They are natural born leaders and are able to give the team the self-confidence needed to play against stronger opponents. I was confident of a good result against Roma, because they have always brought me luck. Last year in the Europa League we beat them 2-0 in Basel; while when I was a player I scored a brace against them in the UEFA Cup in 1996/97 with Karlsruhe.”
Frei returned home in the summer of 2009, having left the German Bundesliga, his home for three years, to sign for Basel; the 31-year-old’s goals were vital in helping the club win the Super League last season. Despite having been sidelined for two months due to a broken arm, the striker scored 15 goals in 19 matches and played an important role in the club’s Swiss Cup win too, leading Basel to the final with two consecutive braces, against FC Zurich in the quarter final and FC Biel/Bienne in the semi final.
A well-tested partnership with Streller, Frei’s team-mate with both Basel and the Swiss national team, is one of the foundations on which the club’s success has been built and continues to be a factor in their status as favourites once again in the new Super League season. Frei has so far managed eight goals and three assists in the league, helping Fink’s side to stay in touch with Hakan Yakin’s surprise package Luzern.
Over a professional career spanning 16 years, Frei has managed 140 goals in 280 games, with 40 of those coming for his country. The leading scorer in France’s Ligue 1 in 2005 with Rennes, voted Swiss Player of the Year twice, the striker has enjoyed a glittering career. It all began with hometown club Basel, leading to a trek through Switzerland with Thun, Luzern and Servette, and then on to France (four seasons with Rennes) and Germany (three with Borussia Dortmund), before coming back home to the club where it all started.
Injuries have always been Frei’s Achilles heel though. Since 2007, the forward has been out of action for a total of more than 17 months and at Euro 2008, a torn knee ligament did for his involvement in the tournament his country co-hosted with Austria; Frei managed just 45 minutes. Even two years later, in South Africa, he could only play 64 minutes of World Cup finals football. Frei’s supporters contend that with more luck on the fitness front, the Swiss star could have made an even bigger splash in the game. It is hard to argue.
If Frei hadn’t become a professional footballer, he would have probably ended up working in an office, following his qualification as a tax accountant. However, the striker grew up in a sporting family and, luckily for Switzerland, and Basel, followed in the footsteps of his uncle, a former footballer in the country’s top division. It is thanks to this that Frei has spent his time filling opponents’ nets rather than filling out tax forms.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
After a brace against Sheriff Tiraspol in the playoff round, Frei has so far hit the target against both Bayern Munich and Roma in the group phase. And while against the Germans his goal wasn’t enough to help Basel to their first points of the Champions League, a powerful shot to open the scoring away to Roma was. Frei’s goal in the Italian capital proved vital in giving Basel the belief and motivation to secure a famous victory.
Basel’s win over Roma was the first time a Swiss club had beaten the Serie A giants at home after five consecutive defeats and allowed Frei’s side to jump from bottom of their four-team group to second, due to a superior goal difference over Cluj and Roma. Frei’s coach, German Thorsten Fink, didn’t have to think too hard before pointing to the striker as a key component in Basel’s chances of success against bigger clubs.
“Although we are underdogs on the European stage, we can always count on experienced players like Frei, [Benjamin] Huggel and [Marco] Streller”, said Fink. “They are natural born leaders and are able to give the team the self-confidence needed to play against stronger opponents. I was confident of a good result against Roma, because they have always brought me luck. Last year in the Europa League we beat them 2-0 in Basel; while when I was a player I scored a brace against them in the UEFA Cup in 1996/97 with Karlsruhe.”
Frei returned home in the summer of 2009, having left the German Bundesliga, his home for three years, to sign for Basel; the 31-year-old’s goals were vital in helping the club win the Super League last season. Despite having been sidelined for two months due to a broken arm, the striker scored 15 goals in 19 matches and played an important role in the club’s Swiss Cup win too, leading Basel to the final with two consecutive braces, against FC Zurich in the quarter final and FC Biel/Bienne in the semi final.
A well-tested partnership with Streller, Frei’s team-mate with both Basel and the Swiss national team, is one of the foundations on which the club’s success has been built and continues to be a factor in their status as favourites once again in the new Super League season. Frei has so far managed eight goals and three assists in the league, helping Fink’s side to stay in touch with Hakan Yakin’s surprise package Luzern.
Over a professional career spanning 16 years, Frei has managed 140 goals in 280 games, with 40 of those coming for his country. The leading scorer in France’s Ligue 1 in 2005 with Rennes, voted Swiss Player of the Year twice, the striker has enjoyed a glittering career. It all began with hometown club Basel, leading to a trek through Switzerland with Thun, Luzern and Servette, and then on to France (four seasons with Rennes) and Germany (three with Borussia Dortmund), before coming back home to the club where it all started.
Injuries have always been Frei’s Achilles heel though. Since 2007, the forward has been out of action for a total of more than 17 months and at Euro 2008, a torn knee ligament did for his involvement in the tournament his country co-hosted with Austria; Frei managed just 45 minutes. Even two years later, in South Africa, he could only play 64 minutes of World Cup finals football. Frei’s supporters contend that with more luck on the fitness front, the Swiss star could have made an even bigger splash in the game. It is hard to argue.
If Frei hadn’t become a professional footballer, he would have probably ended up working in an office, following his qualification as a tax accountant. However, the striker grew up in a sporting family and, luckily for Switzerland, and Basel, followed in the footsteps of his uncle, a former footballer in the country’s top division. It is thanks to this that Frei has spent his time filling opponents’ nets rather than filling out tax forms.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
martedì 20 luglio 2010
Switzerland focusing on Euro 2012 qualification
At the World Cup, Switzerland earned the distinction of being the only side able to score a goal against tournament winners Spain – although perhaps Gelson Fernandes’ shot should have been ruled out due to a foul. Maybe Swiss supporters allowed their expectations to soar too high after that win, as missing qualification for the last 16 was widely viewed as a failure in the Alpine country. And the result which placed the most criticism on the team was, understandably, Switzerland’s 0-0 draw with the weakest side in the group, Honduras.
However, now is the time for the Nati to forget about South Africa and stop regretting a missed opportunity. The country’s Super League is set to begin at the end of the week, and then on the 11th August the national team will return to action, taking part in a friendly against Austria in Klagenfurt. On 3rd September, Switzerland will line up against Australia at St. Gallen’s AFG Arena, before beginning their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign just four days later, against England. Hosting the English in Basel, who also have something to prove after the World Cup, will be tough. The Swiss also have Bulgaria, Wales and Montenegro in Group G.
Switzerland have though, been handed a boost. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was widely linked with taking over the German national team, but Joachim Loew extended his contract, leaving the former Bayern Munich boss with more energy than ever to lead the Swiss to Euro 2012 – that’s the plan at least.
Having become a real power in youth football, winning the 2002 Under-17 European Championship and the 2009 Under-17 World Cup, the Alpine country must now introduce a breath of fresh air into the senior side. Hitzfeld could well be the right man to bring this talent-growing process to fruition, trying hard to find the perfect balance between old heads and up and coming youngsters.
While none of the 23-man party which travelled to South Africa have announced their intention to quit the national team it is, nevertheless, difficult to see a future in the red jersey for so many players over 30. Particularly at risk must be Blaise Nkufo, Hakan Yakin, Ludovic Magnin, Stephane Grichting and Benjamin Huggel.
Hitzfeld will no doubt be encouraged by the youngsters queuing up to stake a claim for a spot in his starting eleven. 18-year-old defender/midfielder Xherdan Shaquiri – amongst the five youngest players at the 2010 World Cup; midfielders Xavier Hochstrasser, Blerim Dzemaili, Fabian Lustenberger and Valentin Stocker; number 10 Moreno Costanzo; and striker Nassim Ben Khalifa, winner of the Silver Ball awarded to the second best player at the FIFA 2009 Youth Championship.
It would be wrong though to believe that Hitzfeld will throw the baby out with the bathwater however, and the 61-year-old will count on a number of existing stars to help him build a new Swiss team. Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio enhanced his reputation in South Africa with some excellent showings, while defender Philippe Senderos – if he can stay injury-free – has another chance, this time with Fulham, to prove Arsene Wenger wasn’t wrong to pay Servette £3M for his services in 2002. Hard-worker Gokhan Inler is another in good shape, adding to the midfield, and striker Eren Derdiyok, despite being just 22, is a raw diamond who has shown he has the quality to shine on the international stage.
"One thing is certain", said Peter Knäbel, Switzerland’s technical director, "we must improve, but there will not be any revolution. According to the international press and pundits, we have one of the best youth systems in the world, but some people here in Switzerland criticise it. The reason? A goalless and – I admit – disappointing draw against Honduras. It’s unbelievable. I know we can do better, especially addressing the lack of creativity in our play. however, we should never forget that for a small country like ours, strong organisation is vital. Radical changes are unecessary and even dangerous."
Indeed, for Switzerland the next 18 months will be about finding the correct balance between new and old, between change and more of the same. If they can succeed then the future will continue to be bright.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
However, now is the time for the Nati to forget about South Africa and stop regretting a missed opportunity. The country’s Super League is set to begin at the end of the week, and then on the 11th August the national team will return to action, taking part in a friendly against Austria in Klagenfurt. On 3rd September, Switzerland will line up against Australia at St. Gallen’s AFG Arena, before beginning their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign just four days later, against England. Hosting the English in Basel, who also have something to prove after the World Cup, will be tough. The Swiss also have Bulgaria, Wales and Montenegro in Group G.
Switzerland have though, been handed a boost. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was widely linked with taking over the German national team, but Joachim Loew extended his contract, leaving the former Bayern Munich boss with more energy than ever to lead the Swiss to Euro 2012 – that’s the plan at least.
Having become a real power in youth football, winning the 2002 Under-17 European Championship and the 2009 Under-17 World Cup, the Alpine country must now introduce a breath of fresh air into the senior side. Hitzfeld could well be the right man to bring this talent-growing process to fruition, trying hard to find the perfect balance between old heads and up and coming youngsters.
While none of the 23-man party which travelled to South Africa have announced their intention to quit the national team it is, nevertheless, difficult to see a future in the red jersey for so many players over 30. Particularly at risk must be Blaise Nkufo, Hakan Yakin, Ludovic Magnin, Stephane Grichting and Benjamin Huggel.
Hitzfeld will no doubt be encouraged by the youngsters queuing up to stake a claim for a spot in his starting eleven. 18-year-old defender/midfielder Xherdan Shaquiri – amongst the five youngest players at the 2010 World Cup; midfielders Xavier Hochstrasser, Blerim Dzemaili, Fabian Lustenberger and Valentin Stocker; number 10 Moreno Costanzo; and striker Nassim Ben Khalifa, winner of the Silver Ball awarded to the second best player at the FIFA 2009 Youth Championship.
It would be wrong though to believe that Hitzfeld will throw the baby out with the bathwater however, and the 61-year-old will count on a number of existing stars to help him build a new Swiss team. Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio enhanced his reputation in South Africa with some excellent showings, while defender Philippe Senderos – if he can stay injury-free – has another chance, this time with Fulham, to prove Arsene Wenger wasn’t wrong to pay Servette £3M for his services in 2002. Hard-worker Gokhan Inler is another in good shape, adding to the midfield, and striker Eren Derdiyok, despite being just 22, is a raw diamond who has shown he has the quality to shine on the international stage.
"One thing is certain", said Peter Knäbel, Switzerland’s technical director, "we must improve, but there will not be any revolution. According to the international press and pundits, we have one of the best youth systems in the world, but some people here in Switzerland criticise it. The reason? A goalless and – I admit – disappointing draw against Honduras. It’s unbelievable. I know we can do better, especially addressing the lack of creativity in our play. however, we should never forget that for a small country like ours, strong organisation is vital. Radical changes are unecessary and even dangerous."
Indeed, for Switzerland the next 18 months will be about finding the correct balance between new and old, between change and more of the same. If they can succeed then the future will continue to be bright.
Fonte: Inside Futbol
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