St. Gallen vs. Lucerne is also Peter Zeidler vs. Mario Frick: a lot is at stake for the league’s most nervous coaches

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“To be or not to be.” For St. Gall and Lucerne, this famous quote from poet William Shakespeare could not be more appropriate for the next five matches. It’s about your own identity. Are you a club that plays for Europe or just a gray mouse in the Super League?

The decisive factor for qualification in the Champions Group is the direct duel between the two archrivals on Easter Monday. The FCSG has a slightly better starting position with a lead of three points. Yet the motto for both of them from now on is: Don’t lose.

The tension in both camps is correspondingly high. Starting with the trainers. On the St. Gallen side Peter Zeidler (61) and on the other side at FCL Mario Frick (49). Both polarize with their words and demeanor and are considered on the sidelines to be among the most nervous players in the entire Super League.

Championship group is “required”

Neither Zeidler nor Frick lack self-confidence. Yet the line battle does not leave them untouched. Both send signals of nervousness. On the St. Gallen side, president Matthias Hüppi (65) also increased the pressure by recently describing reaching the Championship group as “imperative”.

What could failure mean? Given the strong adjective, anyone can put it together themselves. Zeidler has not survived just one crisis in five and a half years. He is also under contract until 2027. However, Hüppi literally said that this is just a number and demonstrated this with the surprising dismissal of sports director Alain Sutter on January 3.

Both optimists

Zeidler himself, as usual, deals with this calmly. Like Frick, he prefers to see the glass half full rather than half empty. What would it mean for him personally if he didn’t reach the championship group? “Life would go on and it would still be beautiful. It is of course even more fun with the Champion Group,” he tells Blick.

Just like in Eastern Switzerland, not everything is peace, joy and pancakes in Central Switzerland. After the embarrassing 2-1 defeat against SLO three weeks ago, a lively discussion arose at the Allmend. Frick can’t stand it when individual players put their own interests above those of the team. And he made this clear to them in the locker room in the presence of sports director Remo Meyer (43).

“Team spirit must be central”

A year ago there were similar problems. Just like then, Frick is struggling to keep all players happy this season. He needs to get that under control if he wants to get closer to his Bundesliga dream. That is why he appeals to his players: “There are still two months in which we are in this situation in the dressing room. And now we want to achieve something together. For this to happen, the focus must be on team spirit,” emphasizes the Liechtensteiner.

To underline his words, Frick has decided that, unlike in recent times, the FCL will travel to St. Gallen on Sunday. The Liechtensteiner is leaving no stone unturned to reach the top 6. He is measured on that. Just like Zeidler in St. Gallen. Neither can afford many more missteps. Starting with the match on Easter Monday.

Source : Blick