FC Basel: The consequences of a risky transfer policy

Alex Frei has been acting coach of FC Basel since the dismissal of Raphael Wicky. (Image: Jean-Christophe Bott / Keystone)

The league looks with amusement at the spin off of FC Basel.

Switzerland is hit by Bayern-Munich or Paris-Saint-Germain-Reflex. She does not have Munich or Paris, but Basel. The football clubs between Lake Geneva and Lake Constance have been watching St. Jakob Park for a long time and they have been holding on long enough to make things better: they have heard tens of millions of transfer transactions that have stunned them. Now, a merry murmur crosses the Letzigrund stadium when the Totomat announces the 1-1 draw of Xamax against Basel. In fan forums, you work on the Dominator. Resentments come to the surface, anti-feelings.

Marco Streller, FCB Sports Director, and Alex Frei, Interim Coach, are useful projection surfaces to evacuate. But FC Zurich should send friendly greetings to Basel because it would not qualify directly for the Europa League and would not have a few million francs, the FCB had not offered a gala in Champions League last season and won a lot of points. The last Basler competition in the Cup of Europe? Overall: failed, beyond years. Only the Young Boys defended themselves.

The transfer policy of FC Basel is too risky.

If you get more than 20 million francs twice as much as the FCB in transfers from Manuel Akanji (Dortmund) and Mohamed Elyounoussi (Southampton), has little argument. The players are gone, there is money for that. In the case of Michael Lang (Mönchengladbach), Basel tried a last salary increase, but it was not significant because Lang saw the Super League and the Letzigrund or Cornaredo and Bundesliga all weekends. In addition, Gladbach offered even after the FCB-submitted salary increase further doubled vaguely. The Super League is not the best for everyone

Manuel Akanji and Michael Lang were the best performers in Basel, but they were not adequately replaced. (Photo: Andrew Boyers / Reuters)

That's why such provisions are hard to prevent. But that does not change the fact that you can consider a real replacement. The FCB is on the braking end of spending, although it has played for the last time in the Champions League, millions and generated through international games, the hochschraubte transfer income. The braking maneuver, however, is incomprehensible. The fact that the club suddenly loses its right of return in qualifying for the Champions League due to injury is negligent. Basel would not have to waste money, but would run a controlled risk, all the more so as it could take into account the new premium premium system of the queen class in addition, tens of millions. There seems to be a strange leverage for local conditions. Concretely, Basel officials could have taken a little money in their hands and give the team a player who knows how to absorb the pressure and who has radiation. This could have enlightened the talented young players who represent the concept of the management team.

Adhering to a strategy is commendable, but it is important not to lose sight of the current need. Otherwise, the strategy becomes a prison. The other question: which player can make the Super League tasty? It is not so easy.

The new FCB players are exposed to great expectations.

At the opening match against St. Gallen, we saw early on that the inhabitants of Basel were looking for each other and found it difficult to find. The aggressive pressing of Eastern Switzerland was a poison for a phase of self-discovery, which must be done under a lot of pressure and in a short period of time. Opening of the championship, a few days later, the qualification for the Champions League. For example, Aldo Kalulu, the French immigrant, played in tenth place and should have made the difference without any start-up. It almost worked, the quality was in the actions of Kalulus definitely to see. To make matters worse, the Basel are fighting with injuries. Players such as Taulant Xhaka, Samuele Campo and Eder Balanta are standing or standing.

Sports director Marco Streller speaks upside down.

As a player, Marco Streller was not immune to the affects. When he says these days about the television coach's election that "the next cartridge has to sit", this sounds adventurous. But it is clear that the absence of argument relates reciprocally to sports success. Who leaves the course, is quickly considered a loser, like a talkative. Anyone who has won for years and suddenly begins to lose (nerves) is quickly dismissed as a verbal squadron. But we must be careful not to think in terms of polarity only in analysis: provider of salvation or failure?

The former duo Bernhard Heusler and Georg Heitz also made decisions and said things difficult to understand. When coach Heiko Vogel was unexpectedly replaced by Murat Yakin in 2012, the "Tageswoche" reported "devastating reactions."

It is not time to exchange the coach after two games in the Champions League.

Basically, every club is allowed to change coach at any time. In Basel, even the master coaches have been fired. But now reminds the FCB of YB's behavior, before the big European Cup matches to replace the management staff. Result? Zero. For Basel, qualification in the Champions League is still possible. But internally, the need must be great, it must have come to distortions. Wicky reportedly threatened internally to go to the public with his personal demands. The gap between the inner sight and the outer vision is further and further away. An observer who knows Wicky well says: "He seemed to be a Formula One driver, taking 50 horsepower, and then another 50 hp nevertheless, the factory management is maintaining its world title goal."

FCB is not the first club to react exactly when the economic pressure increases.A season without international matches is the worst scenario for Basel – it's a threat in the mind.If the FCB fails to to qualify for the Champions League against Thessaloniki, remains the qualification in the Europa League.If Basel prevails against Thessaloniki, at least the group stage of the Europa League is assured.

A management team does not. has no right to remain silent for two days after such dismissal.

Of course that she can. "The sports director Streller said after the match in Neuchatel that behind his silence had put an idea. Beware, the frustration of the media and the media Porters should meet the leaders and allow the team with interim coach Alex Frei to meet in peace. That's the Mourinho method: pull energy. It can be different. However, some people wonder what President Bernhard Burgener's thoughts are in his head.

The Super League is an unbearable coach.

The 2017/18 season was not only bad in this respect. Nine times the coach has been traded – in a league with 10 clubs. Only YB champions Adi Hütter, Raphael Wicky in Basel and Marc Schneider in Thun have survived the season. The Boulevard is happy. And other media do not have to worry about structural flaws and half empty steps. Instead, they can administer a lot of Moralin because of permanent infighting. It can be fun and promotional, but it has nothing to do with quality. In terms of coaching discussions last season, we heard: "Like in Basel, it could be somewhere else." Well, after two rounds of championships, it's more true: "Not like in Basel."