FORMER Arsenal ace Stephan Lichtsteiner has endured a nightmare first two weeks as Basel manager.
Lichtsteiner, 42, was announced as Basel boss last Monday, earning the job off the back of two years managing in the Swiss fourth division with FC Wettswil-Bonstetten.
His appointment came as a shock to many, given his lack of experience at the top level, but Basel sporting director Daniel Stucki said that decision was made with the “long-term” future of the club in mind.
That certainly has to be the case, because the short-term has been nothing short of a disaster for Lichtsteiner and his team.
The former Switzerland international has lost all three of his first games in charge, going out of two competitions and falling even further behind in the Swiss Super League title race.
His first game in the dugout saw Basel fall to a 1-0 defeat at home against Viktoria Plzen – sending them crashing out of the Europa League in 30th place of the league phase.
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Just three days later, Lichtsteiner’s side lost at home again, this time being beaten 2-1 by league leaders FC Thun – who widened their gap over Basel to an incredible 13 points.
Things got even worse in Lichtsteiner’s third game in charge this week, when Basel were dumped out of the Swiss Cup after a quarter-final defeat away to St Gallen, who scored after 53 seconds and then again in injury time to win 2-1.
Things boiled over at full-time in the Swiss Cup tie as Basel captain Xherdan Shaqiri ended up clashing with the travelling support at full-time.
Former Liverpool star Shaqiri was seen in a heated exchange with fans in the away end after the final whistle before Lichtsteiner tried to calm him down.
Explaining the situation, Shaqiri said: “A fan shouted something at me. I told him to stay calm and cheer the team on until the end.
“We’re not happy either. But it’s no use, we have to stick together now.”
Shaqiri defended new manager Lichtsteiner when asked if his appointment is the reason for Basel’s torrid run of form.
He said: “That’s an unnecessary question. It’s certainly bitter that we lost the first three games with him, but we’re confident.”
Lichtsteiner himself has put some blame on a hectic schedule and a number of injury issues.
He explained: “It feels very bad to have lost all three of these games.
“But I knew that there was a risk of that and that I wouldn’t have much time and the circumstances were not ideal with injuries and a lot of games.
Stephan Lichtsteiner’s career
Here’s a look at the career of new Basel boss Stephan Lichtsteiner…
PLAYING CAREER
- 2001-2005: Grasshopper
- 2005-2008: Lille
- 2008-2011: Lazio
- 2011-2018: Juventus
- 2018-2019: Arsenal
- 2019-2020: Augsburg
MANAGERIAL CAREER
- 2022-2023: FC Basel U15s
- 2023-2024: FC Basel U16s
- 2024-2026: FC Wettswil-Bonstetten
- 2026 – present: FC Basel
“I saw a team today that fought to the end.”
Meanwhile, sporting director Stucki has doubled down on his decision to hire Lichtsteiner, insisting the retired full-back can’t perform magic to put Basel back on track.
He said: “Lichtsteiner is doing a good job, but he’s not a magician.
“Sometimes changes of coach have an immediate positive effect, sometimes it takes a little longer. But we are still very positive and will build on him.
“You’re always smarter with hindsight, but if we had lost those three games with the old coach, people would have asked why we didn’t change beforehand.
“We analysed it well and for a long time and knew the risk. Unfortunately, we’ve now lost three times, which is very bitter, but we stand by our decision.”
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