FCB better than ever and worse than ever

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One side of the coin flashes. A victory in the first leg of a European Cup semi-final? FC Basel had never made it 2-1 in Florence a week ago. The victory at Artemio Franchi is the culmination of a crazy Conference League journey that started on July 21, 2022 against Northern Ireland’s Crusaders FC. And carries FCB to the final? So far no Swiss team has succeeded: YB 1954 against Reims, FCZ 1964 against Real and 1977 against Liverpool, GC 1978 against Bastia and Basel 2013 against Chelsea – for them the international semi-final meant the end of the game.

The desire at FCB to make the premiere is great. “It will be a big day for the club and its fans,” says coach Heiko Vogel. And at the same time he warns not to think too much about the final: “Fiorentina wants to reach the final just like us. They will play under a lot of pressure because they have to make up for a goal. We must find the balance between pleasure, self-confidence and the capacity to suffer».

Defender Michael Lang, who has already beaten the giants of Manchester United and City with FCB, senses the peculiarity of Fiorentina’s second leg: “I am more tense and nervous than usual. We have a chance to make our way into the history books of the club. If we make it to the final, people will still be talking about this in 50 years. That creates pressure and responsibility, but also a lot of anticipation.”

International top, flown nationally

The Other Side of the FCB Medal? Scratched, dirty, ugly. Last week that became clearer than ever: three days after the coup in Florence, Rood-Blauw lost 6-1 against St. Gallen, which had already lost eleven games in a row. Place 2 in the championship is only theoretically possible. It is much more likely that FCB will end the season in the worst position since the creation of the Super League (2003) – so far this is 3rd place. In terms of points, the previous negative mark is undermined anyway: Basel can still reach a maximum of 51 points. That is two less than the previous worst result of the 2020/21 season.

“The lack of belief in improvement” was one of the reasons Alex Frei was released. But things didn’t get any better in the Super League. When Frei was kicked out, the gap to the originally intended second place was seven points – three games before the end it had grown to nine.

The crash in the Super League is hard on David Degen. “I tremble every day not to be internationally represented next season,” the president admits. Degen does not like to count on FCB winning the Conference League and thus securing a permanent place in the next group stage of the Europa League. “The most important thing is that we take nine points in the last three league matches and finish in a European place.”

Vogel is completely focused on the second leg

180 degrees different sounds from Heiko Vogel and Michael Lang. The coach honestly: “The league currently has no place in the back of my mind. The possibility of reaching a European Cup final for the first time deserves all the attention. And it is human that my players see it that way.” Lang also confirms that the 6-1 defeat against St. Gallen in Basler’s dressing room was quickly forgotten: “We subordinated everything to the second leg against Florence. praise coach for leaving it up to us players whether they want to play in St. Gallen or not.”

International top, national flop – what a hot dance from FCB! So far the bill is paying off. Does that still apply after the semi-final second leg against Fiorentina?

Source : Blick