The Swiss hockey players will win the group for the second time in a row at the World Cup and will enter the playoffs as favorites. So far, they are proud of their 100% record in Riga, but according to the Czech coach Pavel Rosa, they will not win the historic first gold. The former national team striker has been working for seven years in various positions with the Friborg team, which plays in the highest Swiss competition.
The Swiss are beating one opponent after another in Riga. Why are they not your number one favorite?
The results speak for themselves, the quality of the staff is high. The Swiss are among the favorites, although I haven’t seen the Americans play yet. I think that the Swiss won’t make it until the golden end, because I expect that problems with mental lability will appear again.
The Swiss won the group at the World Cup last year as well, but did not score a goal against the USA in the quarterfinals. They were also eliminated in the 2019 and 2021 championships at the same stage.
Managing critical moments is something that is lacking in the Swiss hockey mentality. Some guys have not experienced any pressure situations in their youth. The base in Switzerland is small, the players who are now in the national team were generally treated like stars from an early age. At most, those who went to Canada encountered something else. A lot of them bounced back quickly, that’s where I see the problem.
On the other hand, in this year’s selection, experience is mixed with the contribution of six reinforcements from the NHL. This is probably also why the Swiss are among the favorites and it is expected that this team will at least play for a medal, right?
It’s a short tournament, anything can happen. The Czechs can also win, yesterday we saw that they almost managed to make up for the loss to the Swiss. It depends on how the quarter-finals and other matches develop from the start.
Swiss coach Patrick Fischer claimed at the start of the World Cup that this time the team plans to start in the second week of the tournament. Still, he hasn’t lost a single point yet.
It works well for them, hats off. The players that have come are obviously great. It stuck together. Kevin Fiala spoke after the flight about the missing gold medal, Nico Hischier will certainly be similarly set. It is possible that if the Swiss were to win this year, these guys will not ride in the championship in the future. Like, say, Sidney Crosby.
How does the hockey public in Switzerland experience the World Cup?
Mainly from the media, I noticed that they don’t put any pressure on the team. There is no talk of an attack on the gold, it is really taken match by match. I have not yet registered anywhere that the Swiss see themselves in the first place. I was pleasantly surprised. I love that the media gives representation room to play loose in quotes.
Czech hockey coach Pavel Rosa on the Friborg bench in the Champions League. | Photo: CTK
It is likely that the Swiss will meet the Germans in the quarter-finals. How would you predict this match?
I guess they’ll be fine. They will definitely play the semi-finals, maybe the final. But I’m guessing it won’t be for gold.
Are you surprised that Andres Ambühl is still in the team? At the age of 39, he is playing in the World Cup for the eighteenth time, he decided the duels with Canada and the Czech Republic with winning goals.
I’m not surprised he’s catching up. In the Swiss league, he plays calmly, he is physically fit, he has the necessary overview. I was a little surprised that the coach took him again, because about a year and a half ago he announced that the national team would be rejuvenated. Raphael Díaz from Fribourg, for example, has finished, but Ambühl is still there. And as you can see, he proves himself right.
Coach Fischer’s position is interesting in itself. What do you think about him leading the Swiss to the World Cup for the seventh time in a row?
Personally, I thought it had been quite a while. On the other hand, in today’s hockey, coaches are expected to be communicative and positive. That’s him. If the Swiss wanted someone else, they would be hard-pressed to find a person who would fit the current trends better.
You are in your third season in Freiburg as assistant head coach. How was she?
We missed direct promotion to the playoff quarterfinals by one point and were eliminated in the preliminary round. It was rated as a failure, it was hard to swallow. We suffered two key injuries, but we are already looking forward to next season, the team looks good. We have a new stadium, nine thousand people go to every match. They take it passionately and show it. When it doesn’t work, he grumbles. When it works, it’s beautiful.
The Kontinental Hockey League experienced a significant outflow of quality foreigners due to the war conflict in Ukraine. Many of them found work in Switzerland. Was it noticeable that they raised the level of the league?
The rules were changed, quotas for foreigners were raised, now there can be six of them in each team. The league improved, it benefited it. It benefited the current national team, for example, they play at a faster pace at home. At the same time, it harms the young Swiss, they have fewer places in the teams. For me, six foreigners is too much for a team.
