It’s not all roses and moonshine for the match in Belgrade: Wicky is put to the test at YB

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How many goals has Raphael Wicky scored as YB coach? All? Not quite. One thing is missing. Last season he did not get the team into the Conference League. They narrowly failed against Anderlecht. That was at a time when FC Basel still had the legitimacy to gossip about it. So it’s been ages.

Other: Wicky led the team to cup victory. Under him, YB confidently became champion again after an interruption season (epidemic). The Bernese have reached the Champions League. They are in the quarter finals of the cup. And are leaders in the Super League in terms of points lost.

So a flawless balance sheet since August 2022? But only superficially.

The third place claim is perfectly legitimate

Now games and weeks of truth follow. First up is the final for third place in the premier class against Red Star Belgrade. Almost something like an arch-rival of the Bernese after the negative experiences they had with the Serbian fans and the club. A departure would be an even bigger disappointment. If you lose, wintering in Europe is no longer possible. This is an openly self-declared goal of YB. And it is a rightly formulated objective. That must be the clear goal to avoid finishing bottom of the group for the first time at the third attempt, given Red Star’s manageable strength.

We then play in the Super League against pursuers Servette and St. Gallen and twice against bottom team Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy. Four groundbreaking games.

It’s not all sunshine and roses

The contract of the player from Upper Valais expires at the end of the season. But there have been no discussions yet. Because despite the (hard) goals achieved so far, we want to wait and see what happens on Tuesday and what happens between now and Christmas. Because it’s not all sunshine and roses.

It may seem boringly quiet, this serious work being delivered in Bern. From the outside you may feel that YB is an oasis of well-being. A kind of “Gschpürsch-mi” club.

Not even close!

The analyzes are tough. And if the sporting management comes to the conclusion that Wicky has not achieved the soft, that is to say not arithmetically measurable, objectives, there will be no new contract.

YB isn’t sexy enough

But what are these soft targets? On the one hand, Wicky is struggling to attract more young players. Super talent Aurèle Amenda is just a backup. Persson and Chaiwa also hardly play a role anymore. Moreover, the resident of Upper Valais only speaks to the same players.

On the other hand, the word “attraction” is floating around. You expect more shine from YB. More clear wins. Fewer games that are as heavy as cold chewing gum. In short: more sexiness.

These criteria will be put to the test after the preliminary round. If the difficult goal of ‘European wintering’ is not achieved today, its importance will increase enormously. That is why the match against Red Star is the most important final match for Wicky in his YB time.

Source : Blick