Young Boys Bern are in a deep crisis. The shine of former master coach Gerardo Seoane seems to have faded. Will he now suffer the same fate as in the Bundesliga?
“And whenever one thinks things couldn’t get more desolate, the Young Boys prove the opposite.” The criticism from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung of the traditional club, founded in the 19th century, could not have been much clearer.
Young Boys Bern, Swiss serial champions of recent years, were run twice over within a week. The desolate 2:6 against Grasshoppers Zurich was followed by a 0:3 against FC Lugano on Sunday.
Gerardo Seoane has not yet been able to lift Young Boys Bern out of the crisis
However, it was only the lowest point so far in a season where the Young Boys are falling far short of their own expectations. After already failing in the second round of the cup against second-division team FC Aarau, they are currently only in fifth place in the league.
Young Boys in Crisis: “An Embarrassment”
The gap to the sensationally promoted team, league leaders and cantonal rivals FC Thun, is already eleven points by the winter break. “Sounds absurd – and is an embarrassment for the Young Boys,” wrote the NZZ about the current situation.
Even last season, when the Young Boys had their worst start to a season in their history, they were in a better position at this point. In the end, they missed out on the championship for only the second time since the 2017/18 season.
A fate that could become a bitter reality again this year. What’s more, in their current form, they even face slipping into the relegation round. Only five points separate the Bern Sports Club from the lower half of the table.
Seoane: The Return of the Master Coach
At the beginning of November, there was great euphoria in the Swiss capital. Gerardo Seoane returned after five years in the Bundesliga to the club with which he won three consecutive championships between 2019 and 2021.
“The inquiry from YB triggered positive feelings in me. I naturally have very fond memories of the great time we had together. I feel it’s the right step,” Seoane explained at his official presentation.
However, about two months later, not much seems to be left of these positive feelings.
“Everything is much worse at Young Boys,” headlined the Swiss newspaper Blick and commented: “With the coach change to Gerardo Seoane, memories of truly successful times immediately resurfaced at YB. But the club is no further along than it was under Contini. And no further than a year ago either.”
Euphoria fades! No Upswing Under Seoane
While the team achieved 1.76 points per game under predecessor Giorgio Contini, this value is currently only 1.27 points under Seoane. The gap to the league leader also widened to eleven points.
“That was inconsistent, like YB’s entire first half of the season,” Seoane critically analyzed the performances since his return.
Sports director and co-owner Christoph Spycher had been confident after Seoane’s signing: “He is no longer the same coach as when he left. But he is still the same person.”
After Bern had prematurely dismissed every coach since the end of Seoane’s first tenure, the demands were clearly formulated. “We want consistency in the coaching position and envision a long-term collaboration,” announced Spycher.
Will Seoane’s Bundesliga Fate Repeat Itself?
If the results after the winter break continue to be unsatisfactory, the pressure on Seoane is likely to rise quickly. The coach could face another setback after predominantly disappointing years in the Bundesliga.
After Seoane stormed into the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen in his first year, he was dismissed in October of his second year. His successor Xabi Alonso turned the Werkself into a championship team.
Even at Gladbach, Seoane never really met expectations. In the first year, Gladbach narrowly escaped relegation (14th) and finished in mid-table (10th) the following year. This season, the Swiss’s time was already up after three match days and 0:5 goals.
Seoane must quickly turn things around in the second half of the season so that he doesn’t face the same fate in Bern soon.