Nations League Balance Sheet: The Nati Autumn Winners and Losers

Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic (33)

When Inka Grings (45), now fired, did not nominate the national team’s record player for the first team after the World Cup, Crnogorcevic did not let it go. The Bernese Oberlander defends himself publicly and becomes a symbol of the atmospheric disturbances between the team and the coach. In the end, Crnogorcevic wins the power struggle, even though Grings stumbles not primarily because of the internal quarrels and the lack of results, but because of her past. As soon as Grings left, Crnogorcevic flourished and paved the way for the national team to the biggest victory in the association’s history with a 1-0 win against Sweden.

Alayah pilgrim (20)

In the gloomy Nati autumn, the FCZ attacker is the big discovery. She is the best and most dangerous Swiss woman in the Nations League, and her reward for this is her first national team goal in the 7-1 debacle against Spain. She also brought a breath of fresh air after the 3-0 defeat against Italy, as she always does when she is on the pitch. Together with Smilla Vallotto (19), Iman Beney (17), Noemi Ivelj (17), Sydney Schertenleib (16/both rankings) and Leela Egli (16), Pilgrim is one of the big expectations for the home European Championship in 2025.

Elvira Herzog (23)

When it comes to succession planning following the resignation of former number 1 Gaëlle Thalmann, the goalkeeper of Bundesliga club Leipzig is currently at the forefront. Although Herzog was the unlucky one in the 0:5 in Spain, as she conceded three goals despite some good saves, the Zurich native convinced in the two games against Sweden (0:1, 1:0). And she was not responsible for the goals conceded in the 3-0 defeat against Italy. In the battle for the goal spot, she has the advantage over Livia Peng. In addition, one of Herzog’s competitors, Seraina Friedli, eliminated herself from the race when she resigned.

Alisha Lehmann (24)

She has more than 16 million followers on Instagram and is the highest-earning Swiss footballer, but on the field the Bernese is the big loser this autumn, after she only played a supporting role at the World Cup in New Zealand. Lehmann is in the starting line-up against Sweden (1:0) and Italy (0:3), but is the weakest Nati player in both matches and looks like a foreign body. There is also a starry sky outside the field.

Riola Xhemaili (20)

She is one of the greatest talents in Swiss football, but for Riola Xhemaili, the Nati year 2023 will be one to quickly forget. Before the World Cup she is taught by Inka Grings and is kicked out. But the midfielder also hardly gets a chance in the Nations League. Xhemaili is doing better at the club. At the top Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, she is only a reserve and the number of appearances is manageable, but the Solothurn native feels comfortable. “Everything is going according to plan and as I and those responsible in Wolfsburg had imagined,” said Xhemaili.

Svenja Folmli (21)

The SC Freiburg attacker is the unlucky one of the year. After tearing her cruciate ligament in the autumn of 2022, Fölmli will return this summer – and how! In the Bundesliga she scored three times in seven games and returned to the national team in the Nations League. She celebrates her comeback in the 0-1 defeat in Sweden. But the injury witch strikes again for the woman from Lucerne. The cruciate ligament tears again, this time in the left knee. The season is already over for Fölmli.