With new coach Joël Magnin, YB is holding its own in first place. But FC Basel is not an equal opponent – and coach Fabio Celestini says clearly who is responsible for that.
Clear conditions, YB above, FCB below: YB striker Meschack Elia in a duel with Marwin Hitz.
Anthony Anex / Keystone
Joël Magnin has a lot of passion for football, said Michael Frey, the then FC Zurich striker, in 2018 after Ludovic Magnin’s first game as FCZ coach.
So much for Joël Magnin and his name and his importance, especially in Bern, where the former YB player Frey experienced him for years. Ludovic Magnin has played 62 international matches and was under contract with Bremen and Stuttgart. But Magnin means “Joël Magnin” in YB circles, grew up in the canton of Neuchâtel, later a footballer at GC, Lugano and – from 2002 – YB. 1 international match, 8 minutes in the Faroe Islands. After resigning, Magnin remained as a coach in the YB apparatus and coached the U21s for over ten years, during which Frey got to know his passion.
There were brief engagements at Xamax and FCZ, but a week ago Joël Magnin was promoted to head coach within YB. Raphael Wicky had been fired after three defeats in a row, but still as coach of the leader, one point ahead of Servette. By separating from Wicky, YB underlined its self-image as a Swiss industry leader, but also the conviction that more would be possible with this team. This team, for example, had hardly shown any passion recently.
The Young Boys and their head coach Raphael Wicky are now going their separate ways: The 46-year-old from Valais was released from his position on Monday morning. The team will be led on an interim basis by U21 coach Joël Magnin until the end of the season.
— BSC YOUNG BOYS (@BSC_YB) March 4, 2024
Sunday afternoon came, the duel with FC Basel, the predecessor as the Swiss industry leader. It took two minutes for YB to lead 1-0, goalscorer: Joël Monteiro. It took five minutes until FCB coach Fabio Celestini stormed onto the field and Roméo Beney let go (and possibly showed his heart and soul). 11th minute: Cedric Itten 2-0. 17th minute: Meschack Elia 3-0.
The Barrageplatz is in his head every day, says FCB coach Celestini
It happens so quickly and a change of coach is apparently explained and justified. I just wondered how much the FCB was a friend and supporter for this presentation. Before the break, the Basel team didn’t shoot at goal once, there was hardly any coherent action, there were quite a few moments in which Celestini stood resignedly on the edge or took a deep breath.
Celestini has only been in his position since the beginning of November 2023, and if you have forgotten: he took over FCB as bottom. There was a time when Celestini supposedly stabilized FCB. But anyone who certainly hasn’t forgotten where FCB were at the beginning of November: Celestini. In an interview with the NZZ in mid-February, he said: “If we do more this season than stay in the Super League: fantastic.”
46th minute: Jaouen Hadjam 4-0. Celestini stood at the line with her hood over her head. After the game he listed what didn’t work, namely: almost everything. YB played well, “but this game is my mistake. I didn’t do something well in preparation this week. Otherwise it is not possible not to do a single thing well.” And Celestini said several times that this game was his responsibility.
According to the new Super League mode, the twelve-team league will be halved after 33 rounds, six teams will play for the championship title and six against relegation. Six rounds before the end of the qualification, FCB is nine points behind sixth place, it seems increasingly likely that the only thing that matters for the Basel team this season is to stay in the Super League. If they can do more: fantastic. The reserve on the barrage place is two points; In Bern, Celestini said that the topic of “Barrage” was “on my mind every day.”
A single FCB outfield player was in the squad last season
66th minute: Monteiro 5-0. 70th minute: Thierno Barry 5-1, a goal of no value. Recently there were three defeats in a row for FCB – this record was the downfall of YB coach Wicky. It would be foolhardy if FCB applied the same standard to Celestini, who takes so much responsibility. Too much? There has been too much back and forth since the beginning of 2022 with the trainers Alex Frei, Heiko Vogel, Timo Schultz, Vogel and Celestini again; and there was too much back and forth when building the team. There was only one outfield player in the starting line-up against YB who was already in the squad last season (Fabian Frei).
A journalist asked YB player Darian Males, who was still at FCB last season, whether he had “a little pity” for his former colleagues. Males’ answer: “Well, I don’t know everyone.”
Who he definitely knows: his new trainer. When asked whether such a performance would have been possible under Wicky, Males said: “I don’t know. Today we had Magnin as a coach and we won with him – that’s it, that’s it.” Yes, it was Magnin, Joël Magnin, that’s it, done.