Group C in this year’s UEFA Champions League facilitated the return of a classic European tie. The meeting of Manchester United and Benfica not only evokes memories of the 1968 European Cup final, United’s first triumph in the continent’s premier club competition, but also represents a thoroughly modern fixture in the 21st century Champions League. Alex Ferguson’s side have morphed once again into a genuine force, shaking off the imperfections of 2010/11 and bringing in the players to make them fearsome again.
Benfica, meanwhile, are a favourite of the modern football observer. One of three Portuguese semi-finalists in last season’s Europa League, the Lisbon side won plaudits all season long even in the shadow of Andre Villas-Boas’ Porto. Adding players of Axel Witsel’s calibre in the summer did little to lower expectations at the Estadio da Luz, and Benfica were instantly identified as most pundits’ second favourite in the group as they returned to the Champions League.
But the draw not only pitted United - then in scintillating Premier League form - against a famous old foe; it also threw a real element of intrigue into the mix. Unlike Group H, which, despite the capabilities of the remainder of the group is surely destined to be dominated by Barcelona and AC Milan, Group C has at least a third team with a genuine opportunity to progress in the competition.
Switzerland’s FC Basel have, for the last decade, been ever-present in European competition. Their most impressive achievement to date in the Champions League came in 2002, when a second-placed finish in Group B - behind Valencia and ahead of Liverpool and an abject Spartak Moscow - took them into the Second Group Stage.
Those who picked out Group C this year have thus far been vindicated. A Matchday 1 victory over Romanian side Oţelul Galaţi, thanks to a goal apiece from Fabian Frei and Alexander Frei, was not unexpected, but Matchday 2 opened the group up and left at least second place up for grabs. A quickfire brace from Danny Welbeck appeared to put United in the driving seat at Old Trafford, but Alex Ferguson’s men were far from home and dry. Two goals in three minutes around the hour mark, again from Frei and Frei, drew Basel level. 15 minutes from time Alexander Frei beat David De Gea from the penalty spot to give the Swiss team an unexpected lead.
Notwithstanding Ashley Young’s late equaliser, which of course may yet prove crucial, Basel’s ability to go toe-to-toe with United tells its own story. Basel will approach their double-header against Benfica with confidence and with every intention of taking at least three points from the two matches. Their early season Super League form was far from perfect, but has turned around dramatically in recent weeks; they’re now unbeaten in five, a run that consists of four wins and a draw, including a 6-0 thrashing of Lausanne Sports in which Alexander Frei scored a hat-trick.
Beyond Basel, the Swiss national team has taken huge strides lately. With more experienced players leading by example, Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side is also brimming with exceptional young players. As well as the Basel representatives, the side also boasts Bayer Leverkusen’s Eren Derdiyok, still only 23, and a host of other youngsters just breaking through. The current Swiss squad features eight players aged 23 or younger, including uncapped Ricardo Rodriguez and his club colleague Admir Mehmedi (Zurich). Fabian Frei may also be in line for a debut.
The youthfulness of Switzerland’s senior team reflects well upon the Swiss system. The Under-21s were runners-up in this year’s European Championships, and the line-up in the final against Spain points to two underlying phenomena that explain in part why people are tipping Switzerland (as well as Japan, in my opinion) to do well at the World Cup in 2014.
Firstly, the Swiss FA is openly embracing players born overseas and brought through Swiss youth ranks, the most noteworthy perhaps being the Kosovan duo Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, both wonderful players with the ability to entertain as well as succeed.
Secondly, Basel are playing a big part in the transformation of the Swiss national team by bringing through some of the players who did so well for the Under-21s. Shaqiri, Xhaka, Fabian Frei and goalkeeper Yann Sommer all started the final against Spain and all feature in Hitzfeld’s current squad, though they’re not the only ones that fit both of those criteria.
The Basel project, and in turn its effect on Switzerland, is not just exciting because of the superior technique possessed by the likes of Shaqiri and Xhaka. Fabian Frei’s breaking through now too, and when Valentin Stocker returns from a knee injury the Swiss champions will be even stronger. The young players in the team bring with them a verve and energy that makes them fascinating to observe from the outside.
Like Hitzfeld, Basel boss Thorsten Fink uses them in combination with more experience players. Marco Streller and legendary striker Alexander Frei are both the other side of 30, but have played every game in the Super League so far this season, scoring 12 goals between them already.
With both domestic and continental momentum in their favour, Basel’s two matches against Benfica will be crucial. But an unbeaten start in Europe means that their destiny is in their own hands. They don’t need a miracle, and they don’t need to win twice against the Portuguese giants. This could be the year Basel make another mark on the big stage - but it could also be the year that Fink discovers the folly of youth.
Tags: Basel, Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri