Not all experts in Switzerland had expected this by far: FC Zurich are champions again for the first time since 2009 – a German coach steered the traditional club to success
In the recent past, FC Zurich mostly fought against relegation from the Super League, arch-rivals FC Basel and championship predecessor Young Boys Bern have better financial possibilities than FCZ. And yet: Under the management of André Breitenreiter, the traditional club from the banking metropolis has now become Swiss champions for the 13th time in its club history. For the first time since 2009.
The German coach established an offensive 3-5-2 in Zurich, the extremely high pressing of his team did not please the opponents as much as the scoring qualities of the Gambian Assan Ceesay.
And so, after four wins at the start, FCZ graced the top of the standings for long stretches of the season from matchday 14 onwards and, since the 2-0 win at FC Basel on Sunday – initiated by a Ceesay goal – have finally dethroned the recently dominant capital club YB (four titles in a row).
For Breitenreiter, the championship title at his first stop as a coach abroad is probably the greatest success in his career alongside the Bundesliga promotions with SC Paderborn (2014) and Hannover 96 (2017). With Akagi Gogia, Marc Hornschuh and Moritz Leitner, three of his compatriots are also in the FCZ squad.
