Switzerland vs. The Philippines
The fourth match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw Switzerland become the first of eight teams to net more than one goal in their opening fixture. In an intriguing affair in the New Zealand city of Dunedin, Swiss manager Inka Grings was able to out-tactic her coaching counterpart Alen Stajcic. World Cup debutants the Philippines nearly supplied another sensation with an early tally, but Quinley Quezada’s 16th-minute 1-0 was ruled offside.
The Swiss Nati recovered from the early shock to register goals in both halves. Ramona Bachmann attained the 1-0 from the penalty spot in the 45th. One of Grings’ young phenoms Seraina Piubel pounded in the 2-0 in the 64th following a fine double-save from Filipina keeper Olivia McDaniel. The Swiss now rise to the top of Group A on goal-differential. A showdown with a Norway side eager to bounce back on Tuesday now shapes up to be a great encounter!
Tactical Analysis: Switzerland
In the interest of full disclosure, a German author should note that the appointment of German female footballing legend Inka Grings as Switzerland’s new head-coach following last Summer’s Euro exit leaves most Germans closely following the Swiss and even considering them a “second team” of sorts. Tactical curiosity when it comes to this team should still apply irrespective of who one is rooting for. Grings has so many options here. In the opening match, she opted for this:
Lineup—Switzerland—Match One (4-3-3)
Grings clearly knew what she was up against, accordingly playing a conservative hand. Some refer to this particular version of a 4-3-3 as a “pillow” or even “Christmas Tree” formation. For much of the opening 25 minutes, La Nati struggled to spread the ball wide in their attack builds. Attack charges possessed a methodical and careful feel about them. Grings’ girls received a much-needed wake-up call in the form of Quinley Quezada’s disallowed offside goal in the 16th. The Red Star Belgrade forward was only ahead of the line by a slight margin.
The general tempo of this set-up increased steadily after the Filipina “warning-shot”. The squad’s top-capped player Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – an exceptionally versatile and talented attacker – infused the team with some creativity in the final third by swinging out to the flanks often. Crnogorčević managed to get Geraldine Reuteler and Ramona Bachmann involved by working wider, especially on the left. Young-gun Seraina Piubel got some useful touches in as well. Bachmann and Crnogorčević both spurned some very good chances near the end of the half.
Bachmann made no mistake from the spot shortly before it came time to head into the tunnel. The lead secured, Grings’ side played with considerably less pace in the opening quarter-of-an-hour after the restart. The Swiss maintained one-way traffic at a somewhat leisurely pace until finally doubling the advantage in the 64th. The sequence began with a scintillating run up the left from Geraldine Reuteler. Filipina keeper Olivia McDaniel initially saved efforts from Crnogorčević and Coumba Sow before Seraina Piubel finally slotted the third effort home.
Swiss combos down the stretch remained clean and neat enough. One could nevertheless say that that the match significantly flattened out after the second goal. A couple of Philippines counters showed promise, though the Europeans found themselves able to defend them easily enough. Coordination isn’t quite there yet within Stajcic’s ranks. That being noted, one had to appreciate the Stajcic set-piece design that threw McDaniel forward to take a free-kick in the 86th. Football fans never tire of such moments.
Top Performers, Switzerland
1) Geraldine Reuteler
The liveliness of Crnogorčević and Bachmann having been mentioned above, Reuteler was probably the most consistent Swiss offensive actor of the match. Her enterprising run set-up the second goal. The Eintracht Frankfurt professional is, in general, in fabulous form for both club and country. After a memorable goal in last Summer’s Euros, an unforgettable hat trick in the qualifying round, and an 11-scorer-point-haul season in the FrauenBundesliga this year, she’s poised to become one of the stars of this tournament.
2) Seraina Piubel
Grings plucked this gem from her former club team, FC Zürich. The 23-year-old was capped just three times prior to the beginning of tournament preparation. One could divine an inspired choice from the Swiss manager throughout this match as Piubel seemed tailor made to work as a direct buttressing support striker. This author laid eyes on her for the first time and was most impressed. It looks as if she’s been specifically groomed to serve in Lia Wälti’s role until the captain gets back to full fitness.
3) Eseosa Aigbogun
The former Turbine Potsdam fullback – used more on the left by previous manager Nils Nielsen in last Summer’s Euros – is back at home on the right. She appears eager and ready. She amassed well over 100 touches to lead the team. Though she didn’t get on the scoresheet this time, one can likely wager safe money that she’ll find a way of garnering an assist at some point. A joy to watch the 30-year-old still bomb up and down her flank at a brisk clip.
Tactical Analysis: The Philippines
Head-coach Stajcic also happens to be well known in tactics-circles. He coached the Australian Matildas for years before being removed from his post under circumstances that still haven’t been revealed not long before the 2019 tournament. Heading into this competition, many of us were eager to discover what sort of system he ran; not to mention meet his WWC debutants.
Lineup—Philippines—Match One (3-5-2)
The first look at La Filipinas for many observers. Pre-tournament scouting proved rather difficult and just about anyone trying to brush up on the research surely found themselves lost in the individual stories of the players. This always occurs when one encounters a “diaspora team”. The author highly recommends checking out how all of these actors ended up representing the country. The roster even features the daughter of California’s Attorney General, Reina Bonta.
Tactically speaking, the team lines up in a 3-5-2. In stark contract to something like Vera Pauw’s 5-4-1, here we have a constellation specifically designed to operate on the counter. As noted earlier in this article, one witnessed slight accents of how this can work properly in action during this match. It’s also worth reiterating that Quezada’s disallowed goal wasn’t chalked off by much. The can still be quite a bit of potential here. Upcoming opponents New Zealand have their fair share of homework to do.
There wasn’t a stand-out performer that stuck in the mind per see, but Quezada’s moves won’t soon be forgotten. Neither shall McDaniel’s involvement, a nice aerial win from Alicia Barker, and a couple of nice dribbles from Sofia Harrison. Overall, Stajcic’s set-piece designs had some flair to them. This team could easily nick a goal off a dead-ball before this competition is through.