Nati coach Patrick Fischer irritated after defeat against Czechs: ‘A tragic third’

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Patrick Fischer is slightly angry after the match against the Czechs. It is not primarily the 2:3 defeat in extra time that irritates the Nati coach. But his team’s performance in the middle third. “We had the match under control beforehand. Then we lost momentum and could barely get out of our third. As a team you have to find a way not to make yourself so small. It was a third tragedy.”

‘Don’t let us be slaughtered, but almost’

He made this clear to the players during the second break. According to striker Tristan Scherwey, including the words “that we now have to get our fingers out of our asses”. What irritated Fischer so much? “You can have a bad phase. But in this third there was no response, which is annoying. We didn’t allow ourselves to be slaughtered, but we almost did.”

The 48-year-old speaks of a lack of consistency, of nonchalance in the power play, or of abandoning the game plan. If we look at the overall picture, for the Nati coach it is not about missed opportunities or shots on the post, “but about the fact that we have to learn to play three-thirds hockey.” Fischer once again reminds us of the consequences of not always being sharp against these top teams on the Euro Hockey Tour: “If you lack determination against Belarus or Slovakia, it’s not too bad. But when she’s missing against these opponents, you can’t see the puck anymore.”

Since May 2022, when Switzerland replaced the excluded Russia, it has been part of this Euro Hockey Tour and will remain so until 2027. Fischer credits this for the development of his team. “But a year ago we lost all the games at the home tournament in Fribourg, that cannot be true.” After the 2:4 against Sweden and this defeat in extra time, today’s match against Finland follows, which also lost both games. So one of the two teams will improve its record.

Source : Blick