Switzerland reached the World Cup knockout stages with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica
ensuring they finished second in Group E behind Brazil.
They went undefeated in their three group games to seal a second round clash with Sweden,
impressing not only with their results, but with the way they played.
Vladimir Petkovic lines his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, though the shape changes greatly
depending on the phase of play.
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer is protected by a back four that sees centre-back duo Fabian Schar
and Manuel Akanji flanked by Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez.
In front of them, Valon Behrami and Granit Xhaka form an energetic and technically adept
double pivot.
Xherdan Shaqiri slots into the right wing berth with the versatile Steven Zuber on the
left, while the hard-working Blerim Dzemaili supports a lone striker.
Haris Seferovic is usually chosen to lead the line, though Mario Gavranovic is an increasingly
viable alternative.
In their opening game of the tournament, Switzerland stultified Brazil for large spells to secure
a 1-1 draw against the odds.
That match offered evidence of an effective defensive structure and pressing game, tactical
aspects that could be helpful in the knockout rounds, where mistakes can prove particularly
costly.
Defending in a horizontally compact 4-4-2 mid-block, they generally look to force opposition
possession wide through the front two, who operate zonally and rarely press the opponent’s
first line of build-up.
Shifting intensely from side to side, the duo constantly position themselves so as to
form cover shadows on opposition midfielders, blocking passes into the centre.
And, when the opposition do pass into the wider areas, Switzerland’s intense man-orientated
midfield press is triggered.
In these situations, the ball-near winger, central midfielder and full-back all move
up to apply pressure to their opposite men, while one of the front two moves laterally
to provide support.
This form of pressing has the effect of reducing the opposition ball-receiver’s time and
space – while the opposing ball-player technically has a number of open passing options, there
is little to no room for error.
This often discourages forward or inward passes, leading to the opposition going backwards
or long.
When attacking, Switzerland’s 4-2-3-1 morphs into a rough 3-1-5-1 shape.
Both full-backs position themselves high on their respective flanks, while Behrami drops
deep either between the centre-backs or to the right of Schar.
Petkovic instructs his side to play out from the back, even when facing a high press from
goal kicks.
Sommer is comfortable with the ball at his feet, which helps when building up, though
Behrami and Xhaka’s movements are more important in this respect.
By forming a back three with Schar and Akanji, Behrami frequently allows Switzerland to gain
numerical superiority through the creation of 3v2 or 3v1 situations.
Xhaka then positions himself centrally in front of the back three, moving laterally
to facilitate a line-breaking pass.
All of this aids the team in resisting pressure and establishing controlled possession.
The Swiss attack is underpinned by a good positional structure that sees players take
up positions on different horizontal and vertical lines.
This structure is dynamic, though its principles always remain the same – for instance, if
Shaqiri decides to move wide to the right-hand side, Lichtsteiner will not simply stay in
his high, wide position – instead, he will drift into the right inside channel.
By varying their positions so as to not be on the same line, players don’t block one
another’s passing lanes and ensure better angles for combination play.
Another benefit of the system’s fluidity is that opponents can be left confused as
to who they should mark.
One of Switzerland’s favourite methods to progress an attack is diagonal passes in from
the wings.
While both full-backs push high, neither is specifically focused on hitting the by-line
or whipping in crosses for the lone striker to finish.
Rather, they look to play passes inside to one of their more advanced teammates behind
the opposition’s midfield line.
The wingers, Shaqiri and Zuber, both look to move infield to receive the ball in more
central areas, though their roles are slightly different.
While Zuber focuses mainly on attacking space in the opposition defensive line, Shaqiri
is allowed to roam with greater positional freedom.
Within this role, the Stoke City man is encouraged to come inside onto his left foot and make
use of his dribbling skill, pace and long-range shooting.
On occasion the 26-year-old’s insatiable desire to get on the ball sees him drop unnecessarily
deep centrally, reducing his effectiveness in the process.
However, the creative license afforded to him generally benefits the team’s attacking
play.
Switzerland are this World Cup’s unsung surprise package.
With Croatia thrashing Argentina and Mexico upsetting Germany, their draw with Brazil,
late win over Serbia and subsequent progression have gone under the radar.
But with a reasonable second round draw, an organised defence and a dynamic possession
game, Petkovic’s side have what it takes to go deeper in the tournament than most expected.