Ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, expectations about Colin Muller’s team were high.
Colin Muller wants to lead the Swiss women to win their second Olympic medal after the bronze in 2014. He has been the coach of the women’s national team since the summer of 2019 – at the previous World Cup he was still an assistant. His first major tournament at this center, the World Cup last August in Calgary, gives hope to Beijing.
Finland’s revenge?
The Swiss reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since winning the bronze medal in 2012. This gives self-confidence, even if a medal is lost. She lost the match for third place to Finland 1:3. “I watched the match again. The difference was not that big,” Muller said. “If all goes well, we are on a par with the Finns. We have improved since the World Cup.”
On the other hand, the USA and Canada, who have taken all the gold medals in the Olympics and the World Championships so far, are probably out of reach. However, the fact that Alina Muller is a striker in Beijing, and missed the Swiss team in the crucial stage in Calgary, makes us confident. “The tingling started slowly,” says the 24-year-old with anticipation. There is no doubt that she has special matches ahead of her, as Mirko Muller is her brother on the ice for the men’s team.
Special situation and high expectations
As in the last World Cup, the Swiss team will certainly be in the quarter-finals in China. He describes the special situation – opponents in the preliminary round are Canada (Thursday) and Russia, which start under a neutral flag (Friday), the United States (Sunday) and Finland (Mon) – as helpful: “We can do it fearlessly in the front row and work on our game system. »
Captain Lara Staller also knew about the favorable circumstances: “We belong to the first group and we are in the quarter-finals.” However, this also raised their expectations, according to Stalder. “We have learned our lessons from the losing World Cup semi-finals and we are well prepared,” said the Lucerne native. “We have to dream big – and we want to get a medal.”
Coach Muller has great respect for what his players go through to play hockey at this level, because conditions in Switzerland are far from ideal. Nobody can make a living from here, training is often done late, which negatively affects recovery. The best reward for hardships will be a repeat of the Bronze Sochi Coup.
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