In Qatar, Switzerland will be working hard to create disruptions.
The Switzerland team, which is captained by Granit Xhaka, possesses experience and quality in key midfield and defensive positions; however, the Swiss will face challenging competition in the form of a strong group that also includes Cameroon and Serbia. Xhaka will be responsible for leading the Swiss team.
Since making its first World Cup debut in 1934, Switzerland has competed in a total of 11 editions of the tournament.
The Swiss national football team has become a fixture at major competitions over the course of the past few decades; their participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be their sixth consecutive appearance at the World Cup.
Greatest achievement
It was 68 years ago when Switzerland hosted the World Cup in 1954 and managed to make it all the way to the quarterfinals. This run is tied for Switzerland’s best-ever performance in the World Cup.
Due to the fact that there were only 16 teams competing, the fact that this team finished in second place in their group (which also contained Belgium, England, and Italy) made it possible for them to advance to the knockout stage.
In spite of this, the team was unable to advance any farther, and ended up falling to neighboring Austria in a nail-biting 7-5 fight that set a record for the most points scored in a World Cup game.
When Switzerland competed in the World Cup for the first time in 1934, it was held in Italy. Four years later, in 1938, it was held in France. Both times, the Swiss were eliminated in the quarterfinals, this time by Hungary and then-Czechoslovakia, respectively.
Key player
Xhaka, who is 30 years old, will be essential to the success of Switzerland in Qatar. The combative center midfielder is highly experienced and has earned more than 100 caps for his country. More recently, he has been in fantastic form for his club team, Arsenal, which competes in the English Premier League.
His box-to-box play demonstrates his attacking skill as well as his famed defensive abilities, and he is garnering considerable praise as a result. He has scored three goals and registered as many assists in just 13 games thus far in the league.
After playing a pivotal role in Switzerland’s impressive run to the quarterfinals of the delayed Euro 2020, which was capped by the team’s penalty shootout victory over much-fancied France in the last-16, Xhaka has gotten off to a flying start to the season. This comes after he played an instrumental role in Switzerland’s impressive run to the quarterfinals.
His purpose in Qatar will be to serve as Switzerland’s all-action centre cog, linking up play between the team’s defensive marshalls, such as Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji, and its offensive talents, such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo.
However, his usually fiery demeanor will be under the microscope once more, particularly when Switzerland competes against Serbia on December 2.
Four years ago, while celebrating scoring a goal in a 2-1 victory against the Serbs at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Xhaka, who is of Kosovo-Albanian descent, made a hand gesture in the shape of an eagle. For this gesture, Xhaka was fined by FIFA. The act of nationalist gesture represents the eagle with two heads that appears on the Albanian national flag.
Supporters Continue To Have Faith
In Qatar, two of Switzerland’s group G opponents – Brazil and Serbia – will provide the Swiss team with a chance to rematch two of their opponents from the 2018 event. This will provide Switzerland with a sense of comfort and security.
Fans will certainly be hoping for a repeat of the results from four years ago, when they held Brazil to a 1-1 draw and beat Serbia – as well as a victory against the group underdogs Cameroon this time around. Fans will also be hoping for a repeat of the results from four years ago, when they beat Serbia.
It will be difficult for Switzerland to get any farther than the round of 16, according to the most recent rankings provided by FIFA. Switzerland is now ranked 15th in the world.
However, it is without a doubt anticipated that the team will act as a tenacious barrier that more heavily favored opponents would have to work hard to overcome.
It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Xhaka might propel Switzerland deeper than they have ever gone before in the tournament if he is able to bring his recent form at home into the competition with him.
It is possible that happy surprises are just around the way for the more than eight million Swiss citizens who will be cheering on the squad.
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