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Despite a disastrous domestic start, can Young Boys impress in Europe?

Despite a disastrous domestic start, can Young Boys impress in Europe?

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Having won five of the last six Super League titles, Young Boys have established themselves as the dominant force in Swiss football in recent years. However, they have only reached the Champions League group stage three times in that time period and never gotten as far as the knockouts, but their fortunes might be changing on both fronts this season.

By Neel Shelat

There is no better way to describe Young Boys’ season so far than by using the phrase ‘contrasting fortunes’. On one hand, they find themselves at the very bottom of the Swiss Super League (12th from 12) as the only winless side in the country’s top two tiers. On the bright side, though, they have managed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League’s new league phase and even have good reason to be optimistic about their chances.

As a result, it is quite tough to ascertain the level of threat new head coach Patrick Rahmen’s position is under. Nevertheless, such a curious record definitely deserves closer inspection.

Disastrous start to the title defence

Young Boys are enduring their worst start to a league season in at least a century, so there really is no way to spin their domestic fortunes positively. Their position at the bottom of the actual table is hardly undeserved, as even the early xPoints standings suggest they would sit down in 11th, about where their performances should place them.

Worse yet, things are not going well for Rahmen’s side at either end of the pitch. They are among the worst teams in the league both in attack and defensively, so they desperately need to step up their game in every department.

The 55-year-old head coach’s tactics have not been appropriately suited to the Super League so far. He was hired on the back of a successful season with expected relegation-battlers Winterthur, whom he led to the Championship group with a fairly direct style of play. A similar approach has not translated too well at the Wankdorf Stadium, as Young Boys have become used to a much more possession-based style of play in their recent period of dominance.

As a result, YB have found themselves struggling to break down defensive blocks going forward and potentially overcommitting, leading to their defence being left exposed. This vicious cycle has seen them suffer a couple of big losses such as a four-goal thrashing at the hands of St. Gallen and 3-1 against Servette in Geneva. Their average of 16.5 shots conceded per match is the second-highest in the league, so they must tidy up in all aspects to bring it down.

Champions League-suited tactics

While Rahmen’s direct approach has led to Young Boys’ struggles in the league, there definitely is merit in sticking with it for the Champions League at least.

His team faced a very tough challenge to qualify as they played a Galatasaray side that registered over 100 points en route to the Süper Lig title last season. They managed to rise to the occasion and won 4-2 on aggregate, putting together a particularly impressive performance in an end-to-end second leg in Türkiye.

Key stats and momentum, second leg vs. Galatasaray

That is very much the blueprint that Young Boys should aim to follow in the Champions League group stage. They certainly have the players to continue executing this approach – particularly in attack where the likes of Silvère Ganvoula, Meschack Elia, Cedric Itten, Joel Monteiro and Ebrima Colley are all forwards who thrive in more transitional matches – so the right team selection and match-to-match tweaks will be key.

With all of that being said, it is worth noting that the biggest reason the Swiss Champions have a great chance to make their Champions League knockout debut this season has nothing to do with themselves directly. The new Swiss Model format will see as many as 24 teams advance, enabling some teams with below-average points tallies in the league phase to progress. As a result, Pot 3 sides like Young Boys – who typically would not have had a great chance to advance in the old group stage format – now find themselves in with a serious chance. In fact, many prediction models have suggested that as few as nine points from eight games could be enough to go through.

The element of luck in the draw remains a big factor, of course, and Young Boys have been fortunate in that aspect too. If we accept the nine-point cut-off, then YB surely must back themselves to accumulate the required tally in their matches against Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Star Belgrade, Celtic, Stuttgart, Aston Villa and Atalanta. They may endure a tough start as both Barcelona and Inter are among their first three opponents, but watch out for them to make a push for the knockouts in the second half of the campaign.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Despite a disastrous domestic start, can Young Boys impress in Europe?

Having won five of the last six Super League titles, Young Boys have established themselves as the dominant force in Swiss football in recent years. However, they have only reached the Champions League group stage three times in that time period and never gotten as far as the knockouts, but their fortunes might be changing on both fronts this season.

By Neel Shelat

There is no better way to describe Young Boys’ season so far than by using the phrase ‘contrasting fortunes’. On one hand, they find themselves at the very bottom of the Swiss Super League (12th from 12) as the only winless side in the country’s top two tiers. On the bright side, though, they have managed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League’s new league phase and even have good reason to be optimistic about their chances.

As a result, it is quite tough to ascertain the level of threat new head coach Patrick Rahmen’s position is under. Nevertheless, such a curious record definitely deserves closer inspection.

Disastrous start to the title defence

Young Boys are enduring their worst start to a league season in at least a century, so there really is no way to spin their domestic fortunes positively. Their position at the bottom of the actual table is hardly undeserved, as even the early xPoints standings suggest they would sit down in 11th, about where their performances should place them.

Worse yet, things are not going well for Rahmen’s side at either end of the pitch. They are among the worst teams in the league both in attack and defensively, so they desperately need to step up their game in every department.

The 55-year-old head coach’s tactics have not been appropriately suited to the Super League so far. He was hired on the back of a successful season with expected relegation-battlers Winterthur, whom he led to the Championship group with a fairly direct style of play. A similar approach has not translated too well at the Wankdorf Stadium, as Young Boys have become used to a much more possession-based style of play in their recent period of dominance.

As a result, YB have found themselves struggling to break down defensive blocks going forward and potentially overcommitting, leading to their defence being left exposed. This vicious cycle has seen them suffer a couple of big losses such as a four-goal thrashing at the hands of St. Gallen and 3-1 against Servette in Geneva. Their average of 16.5 shots conceded per match is the second-highest in the league, so they must tidy up in all aspects to bring it down.

Champions League-suited tactics

While Rahmen’s direct approach has led to Young Boys’ struggles in the league, there definitely is merit in sticking with it for the Champions League at least.

His team faced a very tough challenge to qualify as they played a Galatasaray side that registered over 100 points en route to the Süper Lig title last season. They managed to rise to the occasion and won 4-2 on aggregate, putting together a particularly impressive performance in an end-to-end second leg in Türkiye.

Key stats and momentum, second leg vs. Galatasaray

That is very much the blueprint that Young Boys should aim to follow in the Champions League group stage. They certainly have the players to continue executing this approach – particularly in attack where the likes of Silvère Ganvoula, Meschack Elia, Cedric Itten, Joel Monteiro and Ebrima Colley are all forwards who thrive in more transitional matches – so the right team selection and match-to-match tweaks will be key.

With all of that being said, it is worth noting that the biggest reason the Swiss Champions have a great chance to make their Champions League knockout debut this season has nothing to do with themselves directly. The new Swiss Model format will see as many as 24 teams advance, enabling some teams with below-average points tallies in the league phase to progress. As a result, Pot 3 sides like Young Boys – who typically would not have had a great chance to advance in the old group stage format – now find themselves in with a serious chance. In fact, many prediction models have suggested that as few as nine points from eight games could be enough to go through.

The element of luck in the draw remains a big factor, of course, and Young Boys have been fortunate in that aspect too. If we accept the nine-point cut-off, then YB surely must back themselves to accumulate the required tally in their matches against Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Star Belgrade, Celtic, Stuttgart, Aston Villa and Atalanta. They may endure a tough start as both Barcelona and Inter are among their first three opponents, but watch out for them to make a push for the knockouts in the second half of the campaign.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.