U19 team guide: Switzerland

By Marco Keller

After winning the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Denmark two years ago, Switzerland, the hosts, are aiming to repeat this feat in the U19 tournament.

Difficult task
However, they will have to be at their best to see off the challenge posed by the holders Italy and other Group A members, Belgium and Ukraine.

THE COACH:
Pierre-André Schürmann played 425 matches in the Nationalliga between 1978 and 1997, scoring 105 goals as an attack-minded midfield player. The 44-year-old represented, among other teams, FC Sion, FC Basel and FC Wil 1900, and it was at Wil that he began his coaching career as player-coach in 1994.

Swiss success
From here he moved to Lausanne-Sports as technical director, before assuming the club's coaching responsibilities in October 1998. Over a two-year period he enjoyed some notable success, winning the Swiss Cup in 1999, finishing third and second in the Nationalliga and taking them through to the fourth round of the UEFA Cup. In July 2001, Schürmann became one of six professional coaches working for the Swiss federation.

Performance rather than results
Schürmann tasted success at international level when, as assistant to Markus Frei, Switzerland won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2002. Straightforward and uncompromising, he prefers to concentrate on the quality of performance rather than talking about how many goals or points his team may require, saying: "If we play well, then the results will automatically follow."

Confident unit
His squad should contain approximately ten of the successful U17 side from 2002, and will comprise two goalkeepers and 16 outfield players. Schürmann favours a 4-4-2 formation, and recent results, five wins and one draw, suggest that he is building a confident unit. This cohesion will only have been bolstered by nineteen training days spent together.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Guilherme Afonso, the 18-year-old striker, is one of three Swiss players plying their trade abroad, and is about to join international team-mate Blaise N'Kufo at FC Twente. Valon Behrami, the 19-year-old midfield player, is at Genoa 1893, and exciting prospect 17-year-old Johann Djourou, is about to become a fourth Swiss export, having been linked with a move to Arsenal FC.

Big impression
At home, Fabrizio Zambrella, the unsettled Servette FC midfield player, is one who could make a big impression in the tournament. All these players will need to perform well to compensate for the loss of three experienced heads who will not be there, Tranquillo Barnetta, Johan Vonlanthen and Philippe Senderos.

ROUTE TO THE FINALS:
Qualified automatically as hosts.

Honours in UEFA youth competitions:
UEFA European Under-17 Championship