Basel turn on the style for Gross
Thursday, December 6, 2007
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FC Basel 1893 coach Christian Gross said it was "great fun to watch this team play" as the Swiss side earned a place in the Round of 32 by defeating SK Brann 1-0.
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FC Basel 1893 coach Christian Gross has much to smile about at the moment. His side top the Swiss Super League by six points and are safely through to the Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup after beating SK Brann 1-0 to advance from Group D.
'Great fun'
In addition, his side are playing with style. "I have to compliment my team, especially given our very young attack," Gross said. "It's great we have managed to qualify with one game in hand. It's great fun to watch this team play." A Carlitos free-kick five minutes from half-time was all Basel would need to see off the Norwegian side. It was Basel's 200th goal in European competition and worthy of that milestone, bringing as it did qualification to the last 32 for the third time in four seasons.
Home advantage
Basel spent much of the game camped in the Brann half before the breakthrough as Gross's side once again made home advantage at St. Jakob-Park count. They have won seven out of eight Super League home matches, drawing the other. Basel boast an even more impressive record on the European stage in Switzerland, winning four games out of four, scoring ten times and conceding just once.
Strong defense
Basel's success lies with their strong defence consisting of Daniel Majstorovic, François Marque, Reto Zanni and Koji Nakata. They have the second meanest defence in the Super League having conceded 18 times in 17 matches, while in the UEFA Cup they have let in just two goals in seven games. Not that Basel are defence minded. Gross encourages his full-backs to push forward, as Zanni did successfully on Wednesday against Brann.
Quality
With 38 goals in 17 league games, Basel have the third strongest attack in Switzerland and have failed to score only once in Europe, a goalless draw away to NK Dinamo Zagreb on 8 November. Basel's last game away to group leaders Hamburger SV on 20 December will give a true indication of just how strong they really are. Gross's team need to win to clinch first place – in this sort of form, it is not beyond them.
