Fernandes glad to take on senior Swiss role
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
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"It's the older players' job to assist them and help them enjoy themselves here," said midfielder Gelson Fernandes, 29, of the youthful element to Vladimir Petković's Switzerland squad.
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He may only be 29, but Gelson Fernandes can certainly be regarded as one of the elder statesmen in the Switzerland squad.
UEFA EURO 2016 is Fernandes's fourth major international tournament, despite the Nati's failure to qualify for the finals in Poland and Ukraine four years ago. Though he is no longer the first name on the Swiss team sheet, the Rennes midfielder's experience remains an invaluable asset to Vladimir Petković's ensemble.
Speaking to UEFA.com at Montpellier's Stade de la Mosson, Fernandes said he is embracing his role as one of the veterans of a squad with an average age of just 25.6 (the third youngest in the competition) and one that contains four players 21 or under.
"It's always a great opportunity to experience a tournament like this, but now I can also share my experience with the younger players," he added. "It's the first tournament for quite a few of them. It will be a huge moment in their lives and a very special one. It's the older players' job to assist them and help them enjoy themselves here."
Switzerland begin their Group A campaign against debutants Albania on Saturday. Nine of the Albanians' 23-man selection, including Granit Xhaka's brother Taulant, either own a Swiss passport or ply their trade in the Swiss Super League – setting the stage for a highly-charged afternoon at Lens's Stade Bollart-Delilis.
"It will be a special occasion," explained Fernandes, one of two France-based players in the Switzerland ranks. "It will be tough because it's their first game at a big tournament, and we know a lot of the players because they play in Switzerland and were our team-mates in the youth national teams. We'll be like brothers on the pitch."
With fixtures against Romania (15 June) and France (19 June) to come, however, Fernandes knows the weekend result will be key to Swiss hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
"We only have three group games and cannot afford to lose any," he said. "It's important to start well, but the same goes for all the teams at the tournament. We have to get ready this week and prepare ourselves. Our aim is to get through the first round, then we'll see who we're up against."