Ottmar Hitzfeld: The Man Who Would Be King

I’ve somehow become quite fond of writing articles as part of a series, or collection of articles. It gives a sense of regularity and something you look forward to writing, and readin, by you – the reader, of course.

After completing the ‘Swiss Squad for the World Cup’ series – I thought that it would be appropriate to profile our coach – Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Herr Hitzfeld is one of the World’s most successful managers – and in my opinion, definately ranks within the top five in the game, and argubly history, along with the likes of Marcello Lippi and Sir Alex Ferguson. Ottmar Hitzfeld is the only manager to ever win the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs.

As a Swiss, I feel privelleged that the Football Association has been able to bring someone of Hitzfeld’s reputation to coach a team not considered to be in the World’s élite.

However, it should not be a surprise as to why Hitzfeld chose to coach Switzerland (given that he hasn’t gone on to take charge of his native Germany). Ottmar Hitzfeld had spent many, many years in Switzerland as both a player and a manager (8 years as a player with 3 clubs, and 10 as a manager at both club and national team level).

I will be bringing to you a four-part series of articles profiling our national team coach – Ottmar Hitzfeld – considered by many as a Swiss – due to his fluency and usage of Swiss-German more often than his use of standard German, with a schedule taking the following shape:

Part One: Introduction (as we have just read)
Part Two: Profile as a player
Part Three: Profile as a club manager
Part Four:Profile as Swiss Coach

Hoping to hear from you all in these upcoming posts. Keep sending in those comments.

The World Cup 2010 tickets and champions league final tickets of all matches are now available for sale. Football tickets of all the matches of World Cup are for sale at ticket4football.com, you can buy the Switzerland World Cup Tickets for its the upcoming matches and World Cup Football tickets of other teams on this website.

Switzerland : Jeneral Info

Background

Switzerland is a small country that always has to fight hard to qualify for the World Cup every four years. They Swiss have qualified eight times for the World Cup and their best results were in 1934, 1938 and 1954.

How They Qualified

Switzerland earned top spot in Group 2 of the UEFA zone, but it was far from easy. They had a lot of problems on the way to qualifying for South Africa. They drew with Israel in the first match and somehow lost to Luxembourg at home. Ottmar Hitzfeld's men bounced back and defeated Greece in Piraeus and it was pretty clear sailing from there. In the last match Switzerland needed only one point and earned a draw against Israel to qualify directly for South Africa.

Strengths

The motivation in the team was never a problem. They have players like Barnetta, Frei, Senderos and Benaglio who have European experience. The collective in the team is very important and that’s the key for good results.

Weaknesses

Switzerland sometimes pick up poor results against teams they really should beat like Finland, Norway and Luxembourg just to name a few examples.

The Coach

Ottmar Hitzfeld is a big name in football circles. He is a pleasant coach with good character. He wasn't a stranger to winning trophies with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Switzerland can be happy and can profit with a coach like Hitzfeld guiding the side.
Star Men

Alexander Frei (FC Basel)

The captain and topscorer in the team. He is a person who wants to win every match. With a good instinct for goal he can be very dangerous for opponents.

Diego Benaglio (VFL Wolfsburg)

A young 'keeper who are earned the number 1 jersey in the team. With Wolfsburg he won the Bundesliga last season and now has experience in the Champions League.

Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen)

The 'Cristiano Ronaldo' of the Swiss Team. Barnetta has tons of pace and flair and at 24-years-old has a bright future with the national team.

Best Footballing Moment
The victory in the U-17 World Cup in Nigeria by an unfancied Swiss side. They beat the likes of Italy, Brazil, Germany and Nigeria to win the title.

Off The Pitch
With big cow bells and beer - Switzerland ready for a crazy party in South Africa.

World Cup Objective
To avoid a Group of Death scenario and pull off some major surprises like the U-17 squad did.

The World Cup 2010 tickets and champions league final tickets of all matches are now available for sale. Football tickets of all the matches of World Cup are for sale at ticket4football.com, you can buy the Switzerland World Cup Tickets for its the upcoming matches and World Cup Football tickets of other teams on this website.

Swiss sign off with victory II

Hakan Yakin ensured Switzerland signed off their Euro 2008 campaign on a high note with both goals in a 2-0 win over a much-changed and below-par Portugal.

The co-hosts already knew their fate as Group A basement boys heading into the final match, but they gave the home fans and out-going coach Kobi Kuhn a night to remember after a deserved victory against one of the tournament favourites.

Portugal had already confirmed their progress to the knock-out stages as group winners, so it was little surprise when coach Luiz Felipe Scolari made eight changes to the side that had beaten both Turkey and Czech Republic in their two previous games.

Out when the likes of Ronaldo, Deco, Jose Bosingwa, Joao Moutinho, Simao and Ricardo Carvalho, but their replacements will hardly have impressed the Brazilian coach after producing a disappointing team performance.

Second-string attacking trio Nani, Ricardo Quaresma and Helder Postiga were particularly culpable as they either wasted chances or drifted in and out of the game.

Nani was denied a 14th minute penalty when he appeared to have his legs taken on the by-line by a wild Stefan Lichtsteiner challenge.

Veteran goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler then did well to push Pepe's flick from Nani's driven 30-yard free-kick up and onto his own crossbar with an inadvertent touch.

Gokhan Inler tested Ricardo at the other end with a dipping effort from 35 yards which the keeper tipped over the bar, while he clawed away a close-range header from the livewire Yakin as Switzerland showed glimpses of attacking endeavour.

Portugal saw a Postiga effort incorrectly ruled out for offside on 37 minutes when he prodded the ball home from close range after a neat through ball from Nani in the only real moment of quality conjured up by the frontmen.

After the break, Nani should have fired his side into a 53rd minute lead, but found the outside of the upright after looking to squeeze a shot between the keeper and his near post.

That let-off seemed to spur the Swiss on and substitute Tranquillo Barnetta almost prodded the ball home at the near post with his first touch and Inler fired in a rasping 20-yard right-foot shot which deflected behind off the post soon after.

However, they were rewarded on 71 minutes when the deadlock was broken by Yakin.

Eren Derdiyok flicked the ball on to the diminutive forward, who was clearly onside as he rifled home a half-volley between the legs of Ricardo from ten yards.

Then with St Jakob Park rocking, a clumsy challenge from Fernando Meira on Barnetta resulted in a penalty and Yakin held his nerve to find the top corner with a superb spot-kick to ensure a disappointing tournament ended on a high for the co-hosts.

Portugal must now hope their big-guns can hit the ground running on their return with a quarter-final meeting against one of Germany, Austria or Poland.

The World Cup 2010 tickets of all matches are now available for sale. Football tickets of all the matches of World Cup are for sale at ticket4football.com, you can buy the Switzerland World Cup Tickets for its the upcoming matches and World Cup Football tickets of other teams on this website.

Swiss sign off with victory

Hakan Yakin ensured Switzerland signed off their Euro 2008 campaign on a high note with both goals in a 2-0 win over a much-changed and below-par Portugal.

The co-hosts already knew their fate as Group A basement boys heading into the final match, but they gave the home fans and out-going coach Kobi Kuhn a night to remember after a deserved victory against one of the tournament favourites.

Portugal had already confirmed their progress to the knock-out stages as group winners, so it was little surprise when coach Luiz Felipe Scolari made eight changes to the side that had beaten both Turkey and Czech Republic in their two previous games.

Out when the likes of Ronaldo, Deco, Jose Bosingwa, Joao Moutinho, Simao and Ricardo Carvalho, but their replacements will hardly have impressed the Brazilian coach after producing a disappointing team performance.

Second-string attacking trio Nani, Ricardo Quaresma and Helder Postiga were particularly culpable as they either wasted chances or drifted in and out of the game.

Nani was denied a 14th minute penalty when he appeared to have his legs taken on the by-line by a wild Stefan Lichtsteiner challenge.

Veteran goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler then did well to push Pepe's flick from Nani's driven 30-yard free-kick up and onto his own crossbar with an inadvertent touch.

Gokhan Inler tested Ricardo at the other end with a dipping effort from 35 yards which the keeper tipped over the bar, while he clawed away a close-range header from the livewire Yakin as Switzerland showed glimpses of attacking endeavour.

Portugal saw a Postiga effort incorrectly ruled out for offside on 37 minutes when he prodded the ball home from close range after a neat through ball from Nani in the only real moment of quality conjured up by the frontmen.

After the break, Nani should have fired his side into a 53rd minute lead, but found the outside of the upright after looking to squeeze a shot between the keeper and his near post.

That let-off seemed to spur the Swiss on and substitute Tranquillo Barnetta almost prodded the ball home at the near post with his first touch and Inler fired in a rasping 20-yard right-foot shot which deflected behind off the post soon after.

However, they were rewarded on 71 minutes when the deadlock was broken by Yakin.

Eren Derdiyok flicked the ball on to the diminutive forward, who was clearly onside as he rifled home a half-volley between the legs of Ricardo from ten yards.

Then with St Jakob Park rocking, a clumsy challenge from Fernando Meira on Barnetta resulted in a penalty and Yakin held his nerve to find the top corner with a superb spot-kick to ensure a disappointing tournament ended on a high for the co-hosts.

Portugal must now hope their big-guns can hit the ground running on their return with a quarter-final meeting against one of Germany, Austria or Poland.

The World Cup 2010 tickets of all matches are now available for sale. Football tickets of all the matches of World Cup are for sale at ticket4football.com, you can buy the Switzerland World Cup Tickets for its the upcoming matches and World Cup Football tickets of other teams on this website.

Chile vs Switzerland In FIFA World Cup 2010

World Cup 2010: Chile will play against Switzerland on 21/06 16:00 in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth

The teams’ recent return after an absence of 12 years is resurgence to the FIFA World Cup™ finals in the international scene since 1998 in France, when Ivan Zamorano and Marcelo Salas showed off their finishing skills, La Roja believe they have the characteristics to duplicate their predecessors and advance higher than the group phase.

Coached by the veteran Argentinean Marcelo Bielsa, Chile qualified for the finals quite easily, having poor performances in the qualifying competitions for Korea/Japan 2002 finishing ninth and Germany 2006 when they finished seventh. And finally finding talented substitutes to fill the vacuum left by the Za-Sa partnership, they have high hopes that they can excel themselves in South Africa.

On their way to South Africa, Bielsa’s team has the youngest age average of all the South American teams. They managed to finish second in the continental qualifying group. They are just a point shy of Brazil. This is their best performance since the introduction of the group format. It ended with a spectacular 4-2 win last October in Colombia, a result that secured their return to the world limelight with one game to spare.

The World Cup 2010 tickets of all matches are now available for sale. Football tickets of all the matches of World Cup are for sale at ticket4football.com, you can buy the Switzerland World Cup Tickets for its the upcoming matches and World Cup Football tickets of other teams on this website.