“No one throws in the towel”: National coach Fischer still wants to continue despite the World Cup outing

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When the moment of truth strikes, the Nati once again fail to summon their best performance. 1:3 against Germany. Out and done. She flies out of a World Cup tournament that she dominated in the group stage in the quarter-finals. The mandatory victories have been ticked off, as has the group win. Against the stubborn opponents, the Swiss showed resilience and sovereignty in the group stage. Not much of that can be seen in the quarter-final match.

The first goal against is the beginning of the end. Goalkeeper Robert Mayer, who is favored over Leonardo Genoni, slips the puck between arm and pillow after an innocent shot from Maximilian Kastner. Uncertainty is increasing. And nervousness has many faces. The Swiss plug physically in, seems inhibited.

Niederreiter: “This is unacceptable”

The equalizer came right at the start of the middle period. The redemption? Not at all. Instead of taking this momentum with them, as the Swiss did in the group stage, they slow themselves down with penalties. But they get the next chance to take over this game: German star defender Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings) is sent into the shower after a check to the head of Gaëtan Haas (32nd minute). Five minutes of power play? For the cat. The Germans threw themselves into the gunfire with everything they had and skillfully pushed the Swiss out of harm’s way.

But it gets worse. A double blow from the Germans within 36 seconds finally breaks the Swiss neck. The Humiliation: The 3:1 is a shorthander. “Impatience cost us the game. And the power game. We had five minutes, a huge opportunity. But we’ll pick up the shorthand later. This is simply unacceptable. We were too hectic with the power play. We should have looked for the shot, but played from the outside, waiting for the perfect pass, that was our mistake,” said Nino Niederreiter, a self-critical captain.

The Nati can no longer react – although there is still plenty of time to do so. The Germans play down the game. That would actually have been the Swiss’s plan. The national team designed the preparation so that they reached their peak of performance in the second week of the tournament. That failed. National coach Patrick Fischer had no extensive explanation for this immediately after the bitter bankruptcy.

He says: “I felt that the team is calm and focused. However, once again donations have put us in reserve. Logically I am extremely disappointed. let it play.”

The most important thing for Fischer: the trust of the players

Since winning the silver medal at the World Cup in 2018, the national team failed in the quarter-finals for the fourth time in a row. It is clear that the 47-year-old is now dealing with questions about his personality. Fischer, who has a contract until 2024, stands by his statement in the “NZZ” that someone else may have to try if the targets are not met several times. “The responsibility always lies with the coach, which I also carry. But I’m not one to throw in the towel. The most important thing for me is the confidence of the players as we continue.”

Source : Blick