Swiss still looking for lift-off

There was impatience in veteran Switzerland defender Christoph Spycher's voice as he reflected on a third straight defeat, 2-1 by England in Wednesday's Wembley friendly. Switzerland may have matched England for long periods, but once again the result went against them. With UEFA EURO 2008™ fast approaching, the co-hosts are in need of a morale-boosting victory or two. "To build confidence we need results, that's for sure," Spycher told uefa.com. "If we keep losing and saying we didn't play badly, that's not going to satisfy us."

Positive intent
Switzerland won just four of ten games last year and were intent on kicking off this all-important 2008 in positive fashion. Tranquillo Barnetta, Mario Eggimann and Daniel Gygax all had good chances in the first half as Switzerland unsettled England in Fabio Capello's first match in charge. With Marco Streller and Alexander Frei injured, though, they lacked a cutting edge and it was England who took command. Jermaine Jenas put the home side ahead five minutes before the break and while 19-year-old substitute Eren Derdiyok equalised on his debut, Shaun Wright-Phillips quickly restored England's advantage.

'Good path'
"There were a lot of positives in this game – it was the details we have to improve on," said Spycher, who at 29 is an elder statesman in Jakob Kuhn's youthful squad. "But we were playing against a very strong England team that wanted to show their coach they are ready for the 2010 [FIFA] World Cup qualifiers. Even so, we weren't far off drawing the game. It's hard when you are missing the competitive edge, the character of a qualifying campaign, but I think that although the result against England wasn't good, we can take a lot of positives from the performance. We can build on that, improve one or two things, and be on a good path for the EURO."

'Satisfied'
Derdiyok's fine finish was further indication that Switzerland continue to produce exciting talent. Kuhn conceded, however, that his side will need their big guns back if they are to make an impact in June. "England fought hard and didn't do us any favours," he said. "They have to rehabilitate themselves in front of their fans with a new coach. We're not proud of being defeated but the way we played and faced down England was something that pleased me. I'm satisfied with the performance, but for the future I hope our injured players will recover to increase competition for places. With this performance a number of players have recommended themselves."

Character
Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio is doubtless among them, having kept Switzerland in the game at the start of the second half with a fine fingertip save from Jenas. Switzerland showed character by not buckling during that period of England pressure and then by drawing level through Derdiyok. It was a ray of light for their supporters after demoralising home defeats by Nigeria and the United States late last year.

'Played with their hearts'
"The Swiss fans saw a team that gave everything, that played with their hearts and that's what they want to see," Barnetta told uefa.com. "If we can keep playing like that, I'm sure they will stick behind us. If everyone is behind us, I think we can do something incredible in the summer." Switzerland have three more friendlies before launching UEFA EURO 2008™ against the Czech Republic in Basel on 7 June. Germany are next up, allowing Kuhn's men the opportunity to avenge a 3-1 reverse suffered 12 months ago. Unlike his team-mate Spycher, though, Barnetta will not be attaching huge importance to the result. "If we play like we did against England, against Germany and lose it's not a problem," he said. "What counts are our results at EURO."