The U21s want to push the limits against Spain: raise the curtain on the hot dance!

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It is getting hot in the true sense of the word: almost 30 degrees are reported in Bucharest before the kick-off of the quarter-finals of the European Championship between Switzerland and Spain. Twice as many as in the last group match against France. Against Les Bleus, the U21 national team only got up to speed for an hour and finally conceded a 1: 4 whack.

That cannot be done against Spain, number 1 in the U21 ranking: there is a lot at stake for the Swiss as a team and individually. You have to offer your opponent a hot dance from A to Z – then you can make it to the semifinals.

Looking at the team, a win against Spain would push boundaries. The ambivalent performances in the group stage against Norway, Italy and France would have been forgotten. And that Switzerland finished second in the group despite the worst goal difference, the most goals against and only thanks to the special tournament rules, nobody cares anymore.

Boost for Swiss club football

Beating the Spaniards, who are packed with world-class potential players, in a knockout match will put a bold exclamation mark on Europe’s biggest youth stage. In fact, the declared goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games must then be achieved, a huge success given the mega competition at the European Championships.

In addition, the U21 will now become a development worker for the Super League. This has declined somewhat in recent times in terms of international importance. The advance of the U21s to the semi-finals of the European Championship would boost Swiss club football – and be worth hard money for the clubs.

18 of the 23 players in the Swiss EM team earn their money in the Super League. In transfer negotiations, Basel, YB, Lucerne and Co. can argue that an EM semi-finalist costs a little more. Nati director Pierluigi Tami (61) to Blick: “The U21 is the most important national team to promote our Super League.”

Transfers scheduled well in advance

Speaking of advertising: every player can do it himself against Spain. Whoever beats Spain in a quarterfinal or, in the case of attackers Amdouni, Ndoye or Imeri, even scores one or more goals against a tournament favorite, attracts interest.

Veteran player advisor Christoph Graf says: “Should Switzerland go through a round, it could attract additional interested parties from one player or another. However, a single match usually only has a small impact on the transfer fee or wages.”

According to Graf, transfers are planned well in advance in most cases. When the Swiss are about to transition to the summer, their finances are already largely in place. But, according to Graf, in view of the likely sale of FCB shooting star Zeki Amdouni abroad, “A goal from Amdouni against Spain would be a good bargaining point for David Degen.”

Source : Blick