on the FIFA World Cup™ stage in the second game in North America. Murat Yakin's side had made a slow start to the tournament and were being held by Bosnia and Herzegovina after a surprise draw with Qatar in their opening game. With 72 minutes on the clock, Yakin n sent on Manzambi to inject some life into the contest; the Freiburg midfielder wasted little time in delivering, dispatching an awkward volley just two minutes later to draw first blood for his side.
By full-time, Switzerland had cruised to , with the 20-year-old bagging a brace after injecting fresh energy into the side and lifting the entire team in a performance that particularly impressed Yakin.
“He’s incredibly versatile," the Nati coach said afterwards. "He can operate at the back, in midfield, out wide or up top. He learned his football on the streets. His tactical awareness is still a work in progress, but he’s coming on in leaps and bounds. Johan has many strings to his bow. He presses relentlessly and has the knack of surprising both his team-mates and the opposition with moments of real quality. He’s capable of beating his man and finding the back of the net. Who knows? Maybe Johan will earn a place as a starter before too long.”
With top spot in Group B at stake against Canada, Yakin tweaked his system and named Manzambi in the starting XI as part of a three-man attacking midfield, with Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler making up the midfield pairing. Manzambi put in another eye-catching display, setting up Ruben Vargas for the opener before rifling home a right-footed effort to.
“You can tell he’s on his way to becoming a really top player,” skipper Xhaka said. “He’s still only young, but he’s incredibly ambitious and he’s become a real asset for us. With or without the ball, his mentality is second to none, and that’s exactly what we need. Every day in training, we see his ability in 1v1 situations and his hunger to improve. When you’ve got that mentality at such a young age, the sky really is the limit.”
In the Round of 32 , Manzambi was at it again. With just ten minutes on the clock, he drove down the left wing, glided past the centre-back with a clever dummy and laid it on a plate for Breel Embolo to score the opener. “You can see how creative he is, and that’s what we’re looking for from players who have the ability to produce something special, even when nothing seems to be on,” team-mate Manuel Akanji said. “I think he’s got the mentality and the talent to reach that level, and I just hope he keeps it up because he’s still got plenty of room to improve.”
Having become instrumental in Switzerland’s attacking transformation, Manzambi was sidelined for their Round of 16 clash against Colombia after suffering a left-knee injury in training on the eve of the match. In his absence, Yakin opted for a more balanced midfield, bringing Ardon Jashari into the fold to go toe-to-toe with Colombia’s midfield trio of Jefferson Lerma, Gustavo Puerta and Jhon Arias. After 120 goalless minutes, the match was , with Switzerland sealing their return to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.
During Thursday’s training session, only hours before the , Manzambi appeared before the media wearing a knee brace. The following day, Yakin confirmed he would be without him.
“Johan won’t be available tomorrow," Yakin conceded. "We did everything we could to get him back in time, but he’s not quite ready yet. We did everything in our power to get him fit in time, but he won’t be able to play. Unfortunately, he’s in a lot of pain. It was a nasty knock. He was really building up a head of steam, and we all saw just how much he was enjoying his football, how infectious that was for his team-mates and what an outstanding tournament he was having.”
It is a major setback for Switzerland, but Yakin has enough options at his disposal to cope with his absence. The first option is to stick with the same system they used against Colombia. Jashari provides more control, energy and the ability to support Xhaka and Freuler, although his inclusion changes the way the team plays: Switzerland would have more presence in the middle of the park, but they would lose some of the explosiveness, 1v1 ability and runs into the box. Against an Argentina outfit that will look to dominate the middle of the pitch, Yakin may once again favour balance and defensive discipline in the central areas.
The other possibility is to stick with a more attacking shape while redistributing the roles of his forward players. Fabian Rieder could play in behind Breel Embolo, who has led the line in all five matches so far, with Vargas and Ndoye occupying the flanks. That structure would keep the three attacking midfielders in place and allow Switzerland to press Argentina’s build-up with greater numbers.
Manzambi’s World Cup has been cut short, with three goals and two assists to his name, although his impact has stretched far beyond the numbers. His arrival lifted the mood and injected a new rhythm into a side that had struggled to pose a threat in the early stages of the tournament. Against Argentina, Switzerland will look to spring a surprise against the world champions, book their place in the semi-final for the first time ever and, perhaps, welcome Manzambi back into the fold.
Sources: FIFA Official
