Salatic set on Swiss success

By Andrew Haslam in Nottwil

One of the features of Switzerland's progress to the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship has been the defensive strength of Pierre-André Schürmann's side.

Defensive dominance
With Arsenal FC's Philippe Senderos having graduated to the Under-21 team, Swiss fans may have wondered who was going to act as a defensive leader. Those fears have proved unfounded, however, with Veroljub Salatic eagerly assuming the role and subsequently proving a crucial figure at the heart of the hosts' defence.

Salatic satisfaction
Switzerland booked a place in the last four and a meeting with Turkey by finishing top of Group A and Salatic is happy both with the side's progress and his own contribution, telling uefa.com: "The first game was not so good, as we could have beaten Italy, but the second was better and we have done OK so far."

Starting point
"I scored our goal against Italy and set up the second against Belgium [in a 2-0 win], so obviously I am very happy," the Grasshopper-Club centre-back continued. "But it's only the start. We want a good performance and a victory in every game, and we are focusing on ourselves rather than worrying about other teams."

Serbian heritage
Salatic is a perfect example of the multi-cultural nature of this Swiss side, as he explained. "I was born in Serbia, but moved to Switzerland at the age of six," he said. "When the time came, I had offers from the national team of Serbia and Montenegro but it was not difficult to decide to play for Switzerland."

Settled squad
Many observers feel that a key factor in Switzerland's success has been the settled nature of the squad, with eleven of the players who lifted the European U17 crown two years ago still in Schürmann's party. Despite this, however, Salatic is keen to emphasise that the Swiss squad is not a closed shop.

Mutual respect
"Two years ago, I missed out on the U17 team because I did not yet have a Swiss passport," he said. "Although so many of the players from that side are still around, it was no problem for me to come into the team. The guys respect each others' ability, and that is nice."

Grasshoppers leap
At club level Salatic made the breakthrough at Grasshoppers in the 2003/04 campaign, appearing in ten league games as the Zurich club struggled to seventh place in the ten-team Swiss top flight. Nonetheless, the defender feels valuable lessons have been learnt, saying: "I first played for Grasshoppers at the age of 17 in the UEFA Cup and since then it has not been very easy, but every game I can play in the first team is good for me, it gives me great experience. I am one of the youngest players in the side but at my age, every player is happy just to play."

Yakin comparisons
Salatic's dynamic displays have earned comparisons with Murat Yakin, but the 18-year-old is keen to forge his own identity. "Of course it is flattering to hear such things, but I am my own player and will play my own game," he said. "When I was growing up, I looked to players such as [Sinisa] Mihaljovic and [Fernando] Redondo."

Future aims
The determined defender has clear objectives, both for the second half of the U19 finals and beyond. "We are taking it each game at a time, but clearly we want to win the tournament," he said. "From a personal point of view, I want to win a regular place in the Grasshoppers first team and take it from there."