Switzerland have named their 26-man squad on 1st of June, Euro squad submission deadline day. They announced a provisional squad beforehand. Vladimir Petkovic has guided the Swiss brigade to yet another major competition and his second European Championship. The team has a lot of quality and talent on display.
Switzerland UEFA Euro 2020 Squad :
Goalkeepers: Yann Sommer (Mönchengladbach), Yvon Mvogo (PSV), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier)
Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Dortmund), Loris Benito (Bordeaux), Eray Cömert (Basel), Nico Elvedi (Mönchengladbach), Jordan Lotomba (Nice), Kevin Mbabu (Wolfsburg), Becir Omeragic (Zürich), Ricardo Rodríguez (Torino), Fabian Schär (Newcastle United), Silvan Widmer (Basel)
Midfielders: Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Admir Mehmedi (Wolfsburg), Xherdan Shaqiri (Liverpool), Djibril Sow (Frankfurt), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Mönchengladbach), Steven Zuber (Frankfurt)
Forwards: Breel Embolo (Mönchengladbach), Mario Gavranović (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferović (Benfica)
Key Player: Xherdan Shaqiri
Despite significant creators in the team, Xherdan Shaqiri remains the man to watch out for. For sure he has not been offered the required game minutes in his period at Liverpool but shown glimpses of his class when called upon. The 'Alpine Messi' or the 'Magic Dwarf' as he fondly called, Shaqiri will be wishing to make the most of his minutes given on the international stage at least. Be it be his acrobatic stunner against Poland in Euro 2016 or his cheeky assists, Shaqiri will be on his game to make Switzerland a troubling opposition to face. Swiss have been mostly a round of 16 team recently. Shaqiri is there to break the jinx now with manager Petkovic keen on him for doing so.
Strength
The strength for Switzerland has always been their attack. Shaqiri, as mentioned, is a playmaker who likes to create chances for his teammates and being at his best in linking with a striker. Benfica's Haris Seferovic is the main goal source for the team, the main weapon being his headers. The 29-year-old scored 22 goals in a wonderful individual campaign for the Portuguese giants. Embolo may not produce enough goals but his attacking sense is good and will be key. Gavranovic is the other striker grabbing a lot of goals with Dinamo Zagreb.
The midfield is potential-based. Granit Xhaka and Denis Zakaria are two anchoring midfielders doing a tremendous job for their nation while Remo Freuler is an aggressive presser on and off the ball. Djibril Sow of Eintracht Frankfurt likes to get forward and lay down crucial passes making him an asset to have in the team. Center-backs Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi are promising. Goalkeeper Yan Sommer will be there to pray away any threat to the goal.
Also Read | Wales UEFA Euro 2020 Squad and Team Profile
Weakness
As discussed earlier, Switzerland are scorned for not going deep in any competitions they play in. The Red Crosses often arrive at the tournament with a talented squad but fail to get the best out of them. Often failing to hold nerves in the knockout rounds. The Swiss have struggled against superior nations too. Even after the experienced Shaqiri or Xhaka improvising, they don't make the cut in the required stages.
Switzerland's task will be to get a better run-in against tough sides and develop some continuity in their play. They need to be more serious this time out to yield better results in the Euros. Their run to the semifinals of the 2019 Nations League will serve as motivation but the form in the most recent edition is flattering. They are desperate to overcome all difficulties to do something cheerful in the summer.
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